Seven Wonders
by TinyDancer14
Summary: They stared at the ultrasound screen. Could that really be what they were seeing? They could've just adopted. They could've given up their want for children and moved on with their lives. But they didn't. And now look where it got them.
1. Elation

**Hello! So I know I should probably not be coming up with a new story when I still have two in the works. But "Summer Nights" is a dud and "If You Lived Here" is almost over. So therefore, this is my new story which I love. I've been working on this story for months now; I probably started back in October, I would say. It's going to have twenty-one chapters, I think, and I only have two more to write. This is a Troy and Gabriella future fic, a possible outcome of their relationship. The title of the story comes into play in a few chapters, and why? Because I'm currently obsessed with multiples. Multiple births, that is.**

**So I based this story on what happened in the lives of the Dilley family, the Gosselin family, and the McCaughey family. They all had their turns with multiples and I'm pretty sure no one has ever come up with something like this. Please enjoy! Please review! And at the beginning of every chapter I'm going to have a random multiple fact. Yay!**

**Random Multiple Fact: **Keith and Becki Dilley were the first couple in the United States to have a set of surving sextuplets. Their six, Brenna, Adrian, Quinn, Julian, Claire, and Ian, were called the "Dilley Six-Pack" and broke the record for the number of surviving multiples in 1993.

* * *

Chapter One: Elation

"My life is freaking perfect."

23-year-old Gabriella Montez glanced at Troy Bolton, whose hand was clasped tightly in hers as they walked through the historic park during a warm a late summer afternoon. They exchanged content grins and tightened their grasp on each other as they continued to stroll along the path. Of course his life was perfect. Everything that could've gone right in his life since graduating high school had and he often proclaimed he was the luckiest 23-year-old American male alive. Gabriella would agree- her life had been nothing short bliss since moving out here three years ago. They were healthy, they were young, and they were in love. They needed nothing but each other.

"It is, is it?" She inquired, inhaling the deep scent of tulips coming from a garden patch beside the trail. "Care to explain?"

"Gabriella, we're in California! I'm playing for my absolute favorite basketball team and we're still together." He grinned. "That, I would say, calls for the statement, 'My life is freaking perfect.'"

"I agree. This is not how I pictured my life after college," Gabriella admitted. To Troy's confused look, she added, "It completely changed when I met you junior year."

"That's a good thing, right? I didn't force you into doing something you didn't want to do, did I?"

"Of course not. It changed for the better, I promise."

Troy nudged her. "Plus, how could you pass up a lifetime of living with me?"

Gabriella laughed out loud whole-heartedly. "I was thinking the same thing."

Troy and Gabriella had always been together. Always. Not a day went by where they didn't think about each other or talk to each other ever since high school. Gabriella had met Troy all those years ago at a karaoke contest during her and her mother's vacation to Colorado when she was sixteen. She never believed that one night would change her life. But it had, in so many wonderful ways. She and Troy cut through the tense status quo at East High School that very year, and finally the cliques were broken. Even though Sharpay and Ryan Evans had tried to steal the winter musical and then the Midsummer's Night Talent Show from them, Troy and Gabriella had overcome all.

They were a power couple, it was often stated. And everyone knew.

Gabriella had attended Stanford and majored in Biology with a minor in Teaching while Troy had kept his promise and studied at Berkeley, pursuing basketball, music, and business in one. It wasn't until his sophomore year at college that he realized music was really more for the Evans twins, and instead he focused more on basketball and getting his full degree. Upon graduation, he and Gabriella, after falling in love with California's landscape and scenery, found an apartment together and settled down to find the perfect jobs for two college grads.

It was true, Maria Montez and Lucille Bolton had been devastated that their children hadn't moved back to New Mexico after college, but Troy and Gabriella had reasoned with them by promising they would visit as much as they could and would call them every day. This promise was bent and stretched a little once their new jobs- Gabriella a Biology teacher at the local high school and Troy being drafted onto the LA Lakers- set in. They bought a house together in a small portion of Burbank, and not too long after, Troy proposed. Marriage was always where Troy and Gabriella were headed.

"It's nice to get away from the wedding craziness. Do we have anything else to do before Saturday?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. "Just show up. I'm staying at Sharpay and Zeke's Friday night, and you're staying at Taylor and Chad's right?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's how it's working out. Remind me again why we can't just stay in our own home together?"

"Because it's bad luck," She repeated for the umpteenth time. "Wedding rules. Plus it makes it more exciting when we don't know what the other's feeling. It's kind of secretive."

"Well I don't think we need luck." He stated for the record. "I'm pretty sure there's nothing that can bring us down at this point. We survived everything."

"You never know," She sighed. "People are faced with challenges everywhere they go..."

"You sound like a philosopher," Troy laughed before kissing her softly. "I can't wait until we're married. I want it to be official."

"Me too. Can you believe it? It's so close. It seems like yesterday I was freaking out because you proposed to me..."

"... I thought Sharpay was going to have a heart attack." He remembered. "She was running around screaming, 'He finally did it! He finally did it! Bolton's got balls!'"

"Okay okay, that last part did not need to be repeated." Gabriella made a face as a few passerbies shot them weird glances. "Especially in public."

They walked in silence for a moment or two, lost in their own thoughts, before Troy asked, "When are we picking up our parents tomorrow?"

"Their plane gets in at 4, so I figure quarter of? Will you be out of practice by then?"

"I should be. I'll meet you there; we can put luggage in one car, guests in the other." Troy arranged, and then yawned. "I need a nap. All of this wedding planning is tiring me out."

Gabriella chuckled and patted his cheek. "Oh it really is so stressful. Wine tastings, cake samplings, picking out the flower arrangements..."

"Okay, so it's not that bad," He sighed. "And I'm glad we didn't have a wedding planner. This way we get to make all the decisions ourselves."

"You're right. Good choice on your part," Gabriella concluded. "Let's go home. This is our last night of freedom without worrying about the wedding. Tomorrow night our parents will be with us, so we know how that'll go."

Troy groaned. "Oh God. Hours upon hours of my mother's incessant complaining."

"She's extremely helpful."

"Is not!" He protested. "Your mom is the one who's getting a lot done."

"Oh please! All my mother does is nag me!"

He smiled. "I'm pretty sure we didn't agree on anything this entire wedding-planning process."

She shook her head. "That's not true. I agreed to marry you, didn't I?"

* * *

Gabriella stood on her tip-toes as she tried desperately to see over the crowds of people pouring from the arrival gates. She wasn't sure if her mother's plane had landed yet, but she couldn't tell if she wanted to, for the arrival and departure board was changing so rapidly it was hard to catch a break. She was getting mildly nervous, not because of her mother but because of the Bolton's. She'd always had a great relationship with Jack and Lucille, but for some reason, the fact that she was marrying their only son built some tension and did not seem to ease the nerves growing inside of her. She bounced a little on the balls of her feet, glancing around a moment more and not seeing either set of parents.

"Hey, chill out, chill out. You're supposed to get nervous on Saturday." Troy's voice called out to her as he approached her figure.

"I'm the bride; don't I get to be nervous all the time?" Gabriella asked, before he kissed her in greeting.

"What are you nervous about? It's just our parents."

"I can't exactly pinpoint it, but... the nerves are there."

Squeezing his hand in hers, Troy glanced above the crowd. "You get nervous about everything. It'll be fine, babe. Don't freak out."

"There they are!"

Troy and Gabriella looked up as this comment was shouted from Lucille Bolton and the three adults made their way towards their children. Maria immediately pinned Gabriella in a tight hug, as Lucille did the same with Troy. Jack hugged his son afterwards, and gave a polite kiss on the cheek to Gabriella. Maria threw her arms around a startled Troy and Lucille grinned and embraced her soon-to-be daughter-in-law happily. Maria turned back to her daughter with a watery smile.

"My baby! How are you, sweetheart? Have you grown? You look like you've gotten taller!"

Gabriella made a face. "I stopped growing six years ago, Mom."

"Troy honey, I haven't seen you in ages! Are you getting enough iron? Tell me you've been taking your zinc supplements." Lucille asked sternly.

Troy sighed. "Mom, I don't even know what zinc supplements are."

Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, not fitting into the motherly conversation. "Troy, how's practice going? I can't tell you how proud we are of you back at the school."

"Practice is great, Dad. Playing with them is so amazing. I'm in my element." He responded, taking hold of the luggage and Gabriella's hand again as they began to exit the airport.

"So tell me how everyone's doing, Gabriella." Maria inquired upon meeting the warm Californian air. "Ooh, I haven't seen anyone in ages!"

Feeling Troy press a kiss to the side of her head, she grinned and her nerves rested slightly. "Taylor's the president of this really big Merger company, and she and Chad are still together, following many petty breakups over ridiculous things. Chad plays with Troy, obviously you knew that."

Troy loaded the luggage into his car as Gabriella placed the carry-on items in hers. "Sharpay and Zeke were married last spring and have two little girls. Sharpay's still into acting and she's been in a few movies, nothing major, while Zeke finally opened his new restaurant and it's a big hit. Ryan and Martha are head and assistant choreographers on Broadway in New York, respectively, and Kelsi composes music for American Ballet Theater. And Jason... he's just everywhere. Right now he's helping out his sister take care of her kids because her husband just died of cancer. But he made it back for our wedding."

"Wow, everyone's been so busy!" Lucille commented. "I'll have to catch up with everyone on Saturday."

"Mom, please don't harass my friends." Troy groaned. "You're going home with Maria and Gabriella; Dad'll come with me."

"I will do whatever I please, Troy Alexander," Lucille shot her son a firm look. Troy rolled his eyes and hopped in the car, his father following his lead.

Gabriella gestured towards her own car and exchanged glances with Troy. It was going to be a long ride...

* * *

"So, you nervous yet?" Chad Danforth asked his best friend, bouncing a basketball towards him.

Troy smirked. "Nervous? Why would I be nervous? There's nothing to be nervous about, is there? I'm marrying the girl I've loved since high school and..." He paused, turning to Chad. "You can sense that I'm nervous?"

Chad laughed. "I've known you since pre-school, man. I know you're nervous."

"I don't know why, though." Troy sighed, making a shot at the basketball hoop. "Like I said, loved her since high school. We've been together since high school. How many other couples can say that?"

"Taylor and I," Chad grinned. "And Sharpay and Zeke."

"Okay, but-"

"Troy, chill, alright?" He shook his head. "It's just cold feet. It's normal, I guess. All you have to do tomorrow is say 'I do' and then it's all over."

"I just can't wait for tomorrow to get here, man," Troy confessed. "Remember senior year when Gabriella got accepted into Stanford early? She said she wasn't coming back for prom?"

Chad nodded. "Never saw you so upset in my life. Not even after Lightening died."

"Gabriella's a bit more important than my pet rabbit, Chad," Troy responded, a hint of a chuckle in his tone. "But she left and I didn't think she was going to come back. I was afraid of losing her. And now we're getting married? Pretty awesome, huh?"

Chad made a face. "I don't know. I'm not really good at this mushy talk."

Troy laughed and dribbled past his friend, scoring another basket while Chad was distracted.

Meanwhile at the Baylor household, Gabriella and Sharpay were having a similar conversation.

"... but then I realized if I left, it would be easier than having to say goodbye. Yet it turned out much harder." Gabriella tried to explain. "I don't know what I was thinking. But can you believe it? We made it all this time."

"Yes Gabriella," Sharpay deadpanned. "We've been through this a thousand times. Do you talk when you're nervous?"

"Nervous? I'm not-" She stopped herself. "Yeah, I do talk when I'm nervous actually. It's always been the nervous habit of mine and I can't seem to stop-"

"I don't see why you're so nervous. I wasn't nervous at all at my wedding."

Gabriella gave her a look. "That's not true _at all_."

"What?" Sharpay feigned innocence. "Yes it is."

"No it's not! You nearly had the makeup artist fired, you screamed at the caterer- who, by the way, works for your husband, you were convinced you were going to trip going down the aisle-"

"That could've happened." Sharpay warned.

"-you ripped a hole in your mother's dress and we had to cover it with ribbon-"

Sharpay flushed. "That really was an accident."

"-you insisted that no one go near you for fear of explosion, you kept pacing the make-up room, asking 'Why me? Why me?'" Gabriella listed. "I mean seriously, need I go on? Does the word 'bridezilla' mean nothing to you?"

"Okay, okay!" Sharpay threw up her hands. "I get it."

Just then, as the girls were in a state of laughter, Zeke Baylor entered the room, two little girls on each of his hips. Zeke and Sharpay had married the second they graduated college. In high school, Zeke had been head-over-heels for Sharpay, and even though she didn't show it, she was as crazy about him as he was her. They moved to California to jumpstart their careers, and only a few months following their one-year-anniversary, Sharpay fell pregnant with their beautiful twin girls, Madeleine and Lauren. Twins ran in the family, Sharpay knew, and the Baylors loved their girls unconditionally. The girls were about seven months old now, happy and thriving.

"Shar, I have to head over to the restaurant and secure the wedding order," Zeke called out, handing Madeleine to Gabriella and Lauren to Sharpay. "Apparently they screwed it all up and I have to go resolve their problem."

"They screwed up my wedding order?!" Gabriella asked in horror. "What the hell? What kind of people do you hire there?"

"Bridezilla, bridezilla!"

"Shut up!"

"Relax Gab, I'll fix everything." Zeke grinned. "See you later."

The front door closes and Sharpay and Gabriella fall into lighthearted conversation, playing with the girls and their multitude of toys. Sharpay watched with a content smile on her face as Gabriella and Madeleine interacted. "You're such a little princess, aren't you? I bet you'll be the diva like your mommy. You already are, aren't you? Taking toys from your sister. Do you want it all? Do you?"

"You're so cute," Sharpay cooed. "You and Troy plan on having kids, don't you?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know. We've never talked about it. I hope so. I love kids."

"You're so good with them."

"Well, your girls are angels."

Sharpay grinned. "Of course they are."

* * *

So what do you think? This is obviously just the beginning. The real drama doesn't set in until after the wedding. Review please!!


	2. Bliss

**Yay! I finished the story! Lol. Sorry. I finished the last two chapters of this story so now I'm excited. But anyway, you guys are amazing. Thank you all so much for your reviews for the first chapter. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my writing. :D Hopefully you all had a Happy New Year and I wish you all the best in 2009!!  
**

**I do not own the readings made during the wedding. Such readings include: "****To Be One With Each Other" by George Eliot and ****"Love Is A Great Thing" by Thomas à Kempis. I also do not own the song Sharpay sings for them- "Bliss" by Alice Peacock. Though it is one hell of a fantastic song. :D **

**Random Multiple Fact: **The Gosselins, Jon and Kate, were only pregnant twice but have eight children. Their twins, Cara and Madelyn, were born in 2000 and their sextuplets, Alexis, Hannah, Aaden, Collin, Leah, and Joel, were born in 2004.

* * *

Chapter Two: Bliss

"Happy wedding day!"

Sharpay Evans-Baylor threw open the door to the guest bedroom, where said guest was lying in the muddled bed, a pillow covering her face to shield her eyes and ears from the ruckus Sharpay was making. The blonde frowned and yanked open the curtains, the blinds smashing against the top of the windowsill with a crash as Gabriella groaned and rolled over, removing the pillow from her features. She looked utterly exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all the night before, and her curls were disheveled amongst the sheets and pillows. Sharpay walked over to her bed and sat at the edge of it, reaching to smooth Gabriella's bangs from her eyes.

"What the hell Gabriella? How are you not overly excited right now?"

Gabriella sat up, a dreary look on her face. "I am excited. But nervous as hell. Can't I just stay here? Can't Troy just marry me in bed?"

Sharpay smirked. "I'm sure Troy would love to marry you _in bed_, but-"

"That's not what I meant," Gabriella scowled. "I'm nervous. Help me!"

"Good morning!" The cheerful voices of Taylor McKessie, Kelsi Nielson, Martha Cox, Maria Montez, and Lucille Bolton called out, nearly in-sync, as the entered the room. Gabriella groaned again and covered her face with the pillow.

"She's not having a good morning," Sharpay whispered to Taylor, who nodded and took control.

"Gabriella, what's wrong?"

"I'm getting married in five hours. As in, we are joining as one in holy matrimony."

Taylor chuckled. "I'm aware of the definition of 'marriage'."

"Gabriella, if there ever was a perfect couple, you two qualify." Martha quoted, grinning.

The brunette smiled, but uttered. "This isn't _Legally Blonde: The Musical_, Martha. Can we please focus?"

"We are focusing, honey." Maria tried to reason with her. "You're not making sense. I understand that you're nervous, but you have nothing to be nervous about."

"Troy is head over heels for you," Lucille smiled, recalling her son's past and present love for the girl. "You two have nothing to worry about."

Gabriella took in everyone's comments before grinning ear to ear. "I'm getting married today!!"

* * *

Chad Danforth was ready to kill Troy Bolton for asking his stupid questions.

"You double- no, triple checked that the cake was coming, right?"

"Zeke made it, Troy."

"And you're sure the limos are going to pick everyone up on time?"

"By the fourth time you made me call, they made that _pretty_ clear."

Troy was pacing his best friend's living room, trying to come up with all the possible things his best man could've missed. "And-"

"Shoot me in the face, why don't you." Zeke groaned. "I would rather be listening to the girls shriek about pampering themselves than listen to his crap."

Troy glared at him. "I want today to be perfect, is that too much to ask?"

"It already is," Jason reasoned. "We've got it all covered, honestly."

Troy was wearing nothing but the t-shirt and sweatpants he'd slept in the night before at Taylor and Chad's apartment. He was nervous too, no doubt about it, and all he wanted to do was speak to Gabriella briefly to settle his nerves. It's what he did in every situation where nerves were present, so at this current moment where it was against the rules to talk to her before the wedding, he was panicking, and nearly driving his friends and father to suicide. He came to a stop before his father when he came up with a 'brilliant' idea.

"Dad, Mom's with Gabriella, right?"

Jack sighed. "No Troy, I will not talk to your Mom to get info on Gabriella."

Troy looked horrified. "But Dad-"

"No, Troy! I'm sure she's as nervous as you are right now, but that's normal. You just need to calm down and enjoy your day. This entire day is dedicated to the two of you, so let us do the worrying and you just relax."

Troy sat down, disappointed that he could do nothing to calm the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "Oh man, I feel just like that day I asked her to prom. Only this is so much bigger."

"But you're excited though, right?" Chad asked, hopefully. "You're not having second thoughts?"

Troy shook his head adamantly. "No. Not at all. I've never been more sure of anything before. I can't wait to marry her."

"That's all we need to hear."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Like you were going to hear otherwise."

* * *

Troy and Gabriella's wedding would take place at the Hidden Gardens, a scenic park overlooking the Pacific horizon. A wedding arch was set up at the end of a long carpeted aisle, rose vines and white drapes adorning it, matching the red-and-white themed wedding. Rose petals were sprinkled along both sides of the aisle, and rows of white chairs were set up along the green grass, facing the most gorgeous view. It was late summer, and the cherry-blossom trees overlooking this scenery were just beginning to drop their petals along the ground in preparation for fall, adding to the beautiful picture-perfect venue where the lovebirds would be marrying.

The couple was given two cottages for changing and readying purposes. Gabriella and the women had already been transferred by limo to this cottage and were in the process of adding the finishing touches to their looks, but Troy and the men were on their way now. Having played for the LA Lakers for a year or so now, Troy was a booming star, so naturally all sorts of paparazzi were following him as he entered the limo. They were wishing him good luck at his wedding and trying so desperately to get the first pictures of the bride and groom. However, none prevailed. Troy and Gabriella would release wedding pictures if they so chose to. As of now, they hadn't discussed it.

Troy, dressed fully in his tuxedo and corsage (a red rose with baby's breath; it had been Gabriella's choosing and each of the men were wearing one), appeared from the door of his cottage and stepped out into the glorious sunshine. He couldn't wait a second longer, even though he knew it was still a good hour until the ceremony began. He approached his mother and Maria, who were standing at the beginning of the aisle, already beginning to tear at the sight of him.

"Mom, the ceremony didn't even start yet." Troy protested at the sight of tears in his mother's brimming eyes.

"I know, I know sweetheart, but... you look so... and Gabriella looks so..." Lucille couldn't even finish her sentences. She was lost for words. "This is going to be beautiful."

"Thanks," Troy grinned sheepishly. "They made this place look so amazing. It was nice before, but now it's even better."

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Maria smiled complacently. "You two certainly picked the perfect place."

Chad approached his best friend from behind. "Ready?"

Troy turned, taking in his friend's appearance. "Yeah. I guess you are too, then?"

Each of the guys were wearing a satin red tie to match the corsage and the bridesmaids' dresses. Chad picked at his. "You'd never know I spilled jelly on it this morning while eating breakfast."

"Why would you ever eat in your tux anyway?"

Chad shrugged. "I was hungry. What can I say?"

A few guests began to show, and Troy ushered Chad back into the cottage to finish readying themselves. Meanwhile, the girls were getting ready in the same fashion- with jitters but also with excitement. Sharpay peeked out the window to see a few people arrive with gifts and shrieked in excitement. She informed the others that people were arriving, but that only seemed to fill Gabriella with even more anxiety. Currently, her make-up and hairstylist were adding their finishing touches to her style. The other girls, already finished, were dressing.

The flower girl, Troy's cousin Lena's daughter Tara, was wearing a beautiful floor length white chiffon and organza dress, adorned with red flowers on the skirt. Across her tiny waist was a red satin bow, tied in the back and bejeweled with a rhinestone crest. Her long blonde hair was curled and sat on the top of her head, a red ribbon surrounding it and baby's breath embellishing her soft curls. She hopped around in her white low heels, grinning and feeling like a princess.

The bridesmaid dress, the one that Taylor, Sharpay, Martha, and Kelsi were wearing, was a strapless red satin gown, falling just at the ankles. They'd died their stilettos red in order to keep match with the color coordination. The bodice was crossed and a cream sash was tied at the waist. A small slit was cut in the side, so each time the girls walked a toned leg was exposed. They wore diamond earrings (some real, some fake), and a single necklace with diamond flowers around their necks. Their hair was done the same as Tara's, only a bit fancier. Rose petals were clipped in their hair, and the curls were fanning around the diamond clip that held the hair together. Wisps fell into their face, making it look all the more magical.

"Okay Gabriella, here you are," Kelly, the make-up artist turned her around in her chair to face the mirror.

"Yes, you're all done." Rebecca, the hairstylist, commented.

Gabriella took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She gasped. "Oh my god..."

"What, a good 'oh my god' or a bad 'oh my god'?" Kelly feared the answer.

"An utterly fantastic oh my god!" Gabriella grinned. "You made me look so pretty!"

"No honey," Rebecca shook her head. "You already are pretty. We just enhanced it."

Gabriella beamed. "Thank you so much."

Her soft brown curls were resting upon her bare shoulders, in a half-up half-down style. The rest was softly gathered at the back of her head, clipped back with baby's breath and red rose petals. Her tulle veil was clipped just below the flowers, holding them in place but also allowing for everyone to see her gorgeous hair arrangement. Her makeup was done to perfection, but Gabriella's dress was the real sight to see. A white figure-hugging dress, crystals adorning the bodice and the back of the dress and the satin crossing elegantly into a full gown. She was also wearing silver stilettos with a rose clipped onto each one of them. She looked absolutely stunning, and the girls marveled at her presence.

"Oh baby," Maria cried, walking into the room. "You look so beautiful!"

"Thanks Mom," Gabriella grinned, giving her mother a hug.

"It's time to start, dear." Maria was going to walk Gabriella down the aisle, since her father was not in attendance.

"Oh my god, it is?" Gabriella screeched. "Already?"

Maria nodded and linked her arm through her daughters as the bouquets were handed out- a basket of white and red rose petals for the flower girl, several long-stemmed white roses with one single red rose in the middle for the bridesmaids, and several red roses with one single white rose in the center for the bride. They lined up accordingly and began their processional down the aisle to the traditional bridal march. Chad, the best man, escorted Taylor, the maid of honor, Zeke escorted Sharpay, Jason escorted Martha, and Ryan escorted Kelsi. And suddenly, as everyone stood as Gabriella emerged down the path, all of Troy's nerves settled. His eyes fell upon her and he knew he was where he was supposed to be. Gabriella grinned widely at him and he returned it, knowing deep in both of their hearts that they were more ready than ever to marry.

Gabriella joined Troy at the altar and he was near speechless. She just looked so beautiful standing there and so did he, Gabriella thought. The priest nodded towards both of them and began. "Friends and family, we are gathered here today to share a very important moment in the lives of Troy Alexander Bolton and Gabriella Anne Montez. Holy matrimony is commended to be honorable among all people and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined as one. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. If any one person can show a just cause as to why these two shall not be joined together, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Just as they expected, no one argued, and the priest continued. "The first reading is a great definition for what the marriage shall be based upon- love. 'Love is a great thing, a great and thorough good. By itself it makes that is heavy light; and it bears evenly all that is uneven. It carries a burden which is no burden; it will not be kept back by anything low and mean; it desires to be free from all worldly affections, and not to be entangled by any outward prosperity, or by any adversity subdued. Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse of impossibility. It is therefore able to undertake all things, and it completes many things, and warrants them to take effect, where he who does not love would faint and lie down. Though weary, it is not tired; though pressed it is not straitened; though alarmed, it is not confounded; but as a living flame it forces itself upwards and securely passes through all. Love is active and sincere, courageous, patient and faithful.'"

"And what greater thing is there for two humans to profess their love for each other in such a way?" The priest smiled at the couple and addressed the guests. "They are joined together to strengthen each other in hard times, to console each other in sorrow, to share in each other's gladness, and to be there for each other through thick and through thin. This, my friends, is a marriage."

"As I was told, Troy and Gabriella have never been a traditional couple." The priest grinned, earning a few laughs from the guests. "And so they have prepared their own vows for each other. Gabriella?"

She wiped the tears that were already forming from her eyes and took a deep breath. "Troy, not only are you the love of my life, you're my best friend. Everyone has always said that you and I can conquer anything together, and I believe that's true. In marrying you today, I promise to always love you in good times and in bad, I promise to always be there for you when life is easy and when it's a struggle, I promise to laugh with you, to cry with you, and to care for you when you're sick. But most of all..." She had to pause to hold back a sob. "... most of all, I promise we'll always be Troy and Gabriella and... and that'll never change."

Troy gripped her hand as his turn approached. "I love you so much, Gabriella. You are the most beautiful, smart, generous person I've ever known and you continue to amaze me even more each day. I promise to always love and respect you and to always comfort and care for you when you're distressed or sick. I promise to always be there during the good and hard times, and to help you get through whatever comes our way. My love for you is eternal. It will never fail. We will never fail."

Gabriella squeezed his hand, silently thanking Kelly for using waterproof mascara. The priest smiled at the couple and addressed the public, "Sharpay Evans-Baylor, a friend of the marrying, has prepared a song for the couple."

Sharpay flashed a smile towards Troy and Gabriella, before taking a stand with her microphone. "Troy and Gabriella asked me to sing at their wedding and I was completely honored. Shocked, but honored. And I wasn't sure what I could sing that would express how strongly these two feel for each other. But then, I came upon the perfect song."

A few chords began to play, and she started to sing. "_Your touch is electric. I felt it the first time you held me. The way we connected so easily. I try to define it- search for the perfect phrase. I try to describe it... in a million different ways._"

A tear slipped down Gabriella's cheek and she leaned into Troy's grasp as she realized the song. It truly _was_ perfect.

"_It's joy. It's ecstasy. It's truth. It's destiny. And even love is not enough to tell you how you make me feel_," Sharpay sang. "_There's only one word for this... it's bliss_."

Not a dry eye was left in the crowd when they all realized how true to life this song was to Troy and Gabriella. Sharpay finished the song, nearly crying herself. "_It's joy. It's ecstasy. It's truth. It's destiny. And even love is not enough to tell you how you make me feel. It's faith, it's honesty. It's life, it's everything. To say 'I love you' is not enough to tell you how you make me feel._"

"_It's in your smile, it's in your kiss. It's the reason I exist. There's only one word for this..._" Sharpay smiled. "_It's bliss._"

Sharpay received a standing ovation from the guests and she curtsied, retaking her stance at the altar. The priest motioned for the rings and handed Troy's to Gabriella and Gabriella's to Troy. "Troy, place this ring of Gabriella's finger and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"Gabriella, take this ring and place it on Troy's finger, and say, 'With this ring, I thee wed.'"

"With this ring, I thee wed."

"By the power vested in my by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife," The priest gleamed. "You may kiss the bride."

Troy and Gabriella leaned into one another in a passionate kiss, their first kiss as husband and wife. Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck and his snuck around her waist as they properly greeted each other for the first time that day. All the feeling was poured into that single embrace, and their families and friends clapped wildly as they shared their first kiss. The priest smiled happily to himself, seemingly glad to have made yet another couple happy. When Troy and Gabriella pulled away, he lifted his hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great honor and pride to announce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Troy and Gabriella Bolton!"


	3. Celebration

Thank you all so soooo much for your reviews! I'm glad you liked the wedding, and enjoy the reception!

**Random Multiple Fact:** Kenneth and Bobbi McCaughey made history in 1997 when they gave birth to the first set of surviving septuplets in the world. Their seven, Kenny, Alexis, Natalie, Kelsey, Brandon, Nathan, and Joel, became, and still are today, the only set of surviving septuplets in the world. The couple also has a daughter two years older than the seven, Mikayla.

* * *

Chapter Three: Celebration

Troy and Gabriella recessed down the aisle hand in hand and received multiple congratulations on their way. They were followed by the Chad and Taylor, Zeke and Sharpay, Ryan and Kelsi, and Jason and Martha, and then finally the family. Once away from the madness, Troy pulled Gabriella in for another kiss, and she giggled when pulling away. They were waiting for their limo which would take them to the reception- to be held on the very beach they'd been overlooking all afternoon. It had been Gabriella's dream to marry in a park, but Troy's to marry on the beach, so they'd compromised. She sighed contentedly.

"Can you believe it? We're married." Gabriella grinned. "Congratulations, Mr. Bolton."

"Thank you, Mrs. Bolton." Troy laughed, kissing her again. "I'm so happy. Are you happy?"

She gave him a weird look. "What would make you think otherwise?"

"Congratulations you two!" Taylor shrieked, giving Gabriella a hug. "Are the limos here yet?"

"Thank you! And, no, not yet. They should be any second."

"What's for dinner?" Chad asked, and Taylor slapped him.

Troy only laughed. Nothing was going to ruin his night. Not even ridiculous questions from Chad. "You'll see when you get there. Plus, didn't you already fill out the meal card?"

"Yeah, but that was like, six months ago."

"What's the agenda for the reception?" Martha asked curiously, noting the arrival of the limos and Troy and Gabriella's parents.

"Pictures first before we lose lighting," Gabriella stated adamantly. "Then dinner, dancing, bouquet and garter throwing... you know, typical wedding stuff. It'll be entertaining, don't worry."

Troy and Gabriella had a separate limo, there was limo for the parents, and then a limo for the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The other guests would have to provide their own transportation to the reception, but none were complaining. They were too thrilled with the marriage of this couple to worry about transportation. Upon arriving at the beautiful beach, people were awed. It was an old, white sand beach, with crashing blue waves and the salty sea air Californians craved. A large dance floor with a DJ booth had been set up far up the beach, along with a separate section for eating. A gazebo in the right corner of their private section was going to be used for taking pictures.

The photographer had shown up just moments before the wedding party had arrived, and had already set up his equipment near the gazebo for the wedding portraits. It was a little after five o'clock, and while most of the guests were hitting up the open bar, Troy, Gabriella, and the rest of the gang were getting the photos taken. First, a photo with Gabriella and Taylor, then one with Chad and Troy, and followed by one with the four of them together. Afterwards, Gabriella got her picture with her mother, and Troy with his parents, and followed by the five of them together. The three bridesmaids, groomsmen, the maid-of-honor, the best man, the parents, and the bride and the groom got their picture taken all together next, followed by a dozen of Troy and Gabriella together. By the time these professional photographs were over, it was around six p.m., and time to start dinner.

The DJ took the time to announce the party. "Thank you all for being here tonight for Troy and Gabriella's wedding!" There was applause before he announced, "May I introduce to you, Mr. Troy and Gabriella Bolton!"

The bride and groomed entered the dining vicinity and took their seats at the head table. Maria took this time to stand and address the guests. "Welcome everybody and thank you so much for coming to celebrate Gabriella and Troy's wedding with us. We're all very glad you could make it to both the wedding and the reception. You know..."

"Oh god, she's going to give a speech." Gabriella muttered to Troy. "Someone stop her."

"It's not everyday your only daughter gets married, and I'm so thankful that we could share this delightful experience with our closest friends and family." Maria quivered, on the verge of tears from joy. "So thank you all, and enjoy the meal!"

"Ah, see? Not a speech." Troy assured her. "She's just proud."

Suddenly, the waiters and waitresses appeared with the trays of the first course of the meal, and it was only then that the couple noticed the hors d'oeuvres at the center of the table- ham and cheese wedges with crackers, along with shrimp cocktail as well. The first course was the salad course- guests could choose from the Caesar salad, a House salad, or a gourmet pasta salad. After it was served, the tables fell into easy conversation.

"So are you totally ecstatic about leaving for Hawaii tomorrow?" Taylor grinned, taking a bite of pasta. "I'm so jealous."

"We can't wait. Relaxation is all we need right now." Troy answered for the both of them, Gabriella nodding in agreement.

"The ceremony was beautiful," Kelsi remarked, a twinkle in her eye. "And the dresses are amazing."

"Yeah, and the best part about these are that you can shorten them and wear them again." Martha grinned.

"Martha, stop quoting movies!" Gabriella teased. "But I'm glad you liked them. Everyone says the bride chooses the dresses to make others look ugly so she'll look pretty, but I didn't want to be like that. I wanted us all to equally look beautiful."

"And you did," Troy commented.

"Thank you."

"So Troy," Zeke asked slyly. "Could you say Gabriella was a 'bridezilla'?"

Troy shook his head. "Not really. I mean, she got annoyed when things weren't going right, but so did I. She never threatened to castrate anyone-"

"Hey," Sharpay defended herself. "I had a just cause to make that threat."

Troy laughed. "So yeah. No, Gabriella was not a bridezilla. Unless you guys saw something I didn't."

"Nah, she was typical Gabriella, unfortunately."

"What's that supposed to mean, Chad?" Gabriella glared at him.

"You're too nice. But we love it, don't worry."

"Okay, okay, it's time for your toast," Taylor informed her boyfriend, standing up. "Excuse me, can I have everyone's attention? Before the main course is served, Chad Danforth, the best-man, would like to make a congratulatory speech and toast to the newlywed couple."

Chad stood and greeted the crowd. "Good evening everyone! My name, as Taylor so helpfully pointed out, is Chad Danforth for those of you who don't know me. For those of you who do... well, I'm sorry."

He earned a few laughs and continued. "I would like to start by complimenting Gabriella on how amazing she looks this evening."

"Aw, thank you." Gabriella's smiled widened as the guests applauded, agreeing with Chad.

"As for Troy, well... we tried, didn't we?" Chad laughed himself as others joined him. "From the moment Troy asked me to be his best man, I knew the most challenging part of the day would be to make this speech, but only because I have such a history of embarrassing stories I could tell from Troy's past, and could only choose a couple."

"I think I'll save Troy the humiliation," Chad laughed when Troy thanked him. "But honestly, I've known Troy since pre-school and have never seen him so happy as to when he met Gabriella. Thank you Troy for making me your best man and congratulations to the happy couple. To Troy and Gabriella!"

Everyone toasted to the couple and the main course- Honey Glazed Sliced Ham or Roast Turkey Breast with a choice of the sides oven-roasted potatoes or wild rice pilaf. Once dinner was finished and cleared away, Troy and Gabriella were invited to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. Troy had pre-dedicated a song to his blushing bride, "You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Cocker. He led her onto the dance floor, and she was unknowing of the song about to be played.

"Please turn your attention to the dance floor, where Troy and Gabriella will share their first dance as husband and wife."

Troy wrapped his arms securely around her waist as she fiddled with his collar. "What are we dancing to?"

He smiled softly at her. "You'll see."

_You are so beautiful to me_

_Can't you see you're everything I hoped for?_

_You're everything I need_

_You are so beautiful..._

Tears flooded down her cheeks and he wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. "Don't cry, baby."

"I love you." She managed, struggling to control herself but failing miserably.

"I love you too."

After the first dance, Troy and Gabriella took the time to thank their parents and the guests for coming. This was promptly followed by the dancing portion of the reception, where they all performed the Electric Slide, the Cha Cha Slide, the Macarena... just to name a few. Troy and Gabriella cut their three-tiered velvet cake and smashed it in each other's faces, earning laughs and picture opportunities from the guests. But after the cake had been served, eaten, and cleared away, Gabriella was disappointed for the first time that day.

Next was the Father/Daughter- Mother/Son dance. And she didn't have a father.

"Next I would like to welcome Troy and his mother to the dance floor for the Mother/Son dance, and also Gabriella and her father for the Father/Daughter dance."

Everyone froze. No one knew how to approach Gabriella when her father was the topic of conversation.

Gabriella, who was seated at her head table, lowered her head and stared at her hands in her lap, toying with the newly acquired wedding ring. Troy apologized to his mother and started towards her, but stopped when he noticed his father going in his place. He watched his interaction with her.

"Gabriella, I know I'm not your father," Jack began. Gabriella looked up. "But everyone deserves to have this dance. Would you... like to dance with me?"

Gabriella slowly smiled. "I'd be honored."

Jack led her to the dance floor and they danced together, Gabriella happier than ever. Maria watched with tears in her eyes, then looked heavenward and closed them in memorial. Troy gave his father a look of thanks and Jack only grinned in return. She was his daughter-in-law and he was glad to step in where necessary. Gabriella only looked up at him and thanked him a thousand times over. "Thank you so much for doing this for me. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Hey hey hey!" Taylor called out a while later. "Let's throw that bouquet!"

Gabriella stood at the DJ booth and grinned. "Thank you all again for coming tonight. It's the moment you single women have been waiting for all night! Legend has it that whoever catches this bouquet is the next to marry! Here it goes... one! Two! Three!"

She heaved the flowers backwards and then turned to see the results. Taylor was screaming triumphantly, waving the roses back and forth. "I win! I win!"

Directly accompanying that, the traditional garter toss. Gabriella was seated in a chair and Troy was at her feet, her left leg in one hand and the other hand up her dress. Once he produced the garter and slipped it off her leg, he turned towards the guys. "Alright single men, you catch this and you're the next to marry. But you have to dance with the bouquet catcher... a.k.a Taylor."

He threw the garter over his head and surprisingly enough, it landed in Jason's hands. He grinned. "Sweet! Gabriella, can I keep this?"

She giggled. "For the rest of the night. I want it back, though."

"Does this mean we're destined to marry?" Taylor asked. "Because, no offense Jase, but I don't wanna marry you."

Jason didn't take offense. "I don't want to marry you either, Tay. It's cool."

The last dance came following Jason and Taylor's dance, and soon, it was time to bid the newlywed couple farewell as they jetted off to their vacation in Hawaii. The wedding guests lined up in a two rows- a row of males and a row of females facing each other- outside of the beach leading to the street, where their limo featuring the 'Just Married' sign was awaiting them. Troy and Gabriella made their exit, getting showered in congratulatory rice on their way. They climbed into the limo and hurried off to stay at a hotel for the night before leaving for vacation the next morning.

"I don't think I've ever been happier in my entire life," Gabriella confessed, glancing over at Troy, who reached for her hand and squeezed it in hers.

"Me either. This was by far the best day of my life."

"Everyone was just so great and I can't wait to start our life together." She grinned cheekily. "But more than that, I can't wait to go to Hawaii!"

Troy laughed. "I'm excited to go to Hawaii too. But I'm so tired."

"Me too. Getting married takes a lot out of you."

He nodded in agreement, resting his head upon her shoulder.

"Hey, don't fall asleep. I don't have the energy or the muscles to carry you to our hotel suite," She advised. Then she added, "Plus we still have to consummate this marriage."

He snorted. "Don't you worry about that. That will not get overlooked."

Giggling, Gabriella slunk down in her seat to snuggle with him. "I'm just glad we finally get time for ourselves you know?"

Troy yawned.

"No basketball practice, no school, no tests to grade, no games..."

There was silence now from her husband. Gabriella nudged him. "Troy..."

Still silent. He was sound asleep on her shoulder. She had to hold back a laugh.

"Goodnight, husband."


	4. Confused

**Thank you sooooo much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the reception. This chapter is where the beginning of the drama sets in. It only lasts for a few chapters though, don't worry!!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** There are only twenty-seven living sets of sextuplets in the world. Sixteen of these sets were born in the United States. There is only one set of living septuplets.

* * *

Chapter Four: Confused

_One year later..._

"Happy Anniversary," Troy grinned, bringing the bouquet of flowers he was holding behind his back around for her to see.

She gasped in surprise. "Troy! They're beautiful! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Anything for you."

Gabriella brought the flowers up to her nose to smell, the sweet floral scent filling her nostrils as she inhaled. "Oh, I have to go put this in a vase. They smell fantastic!"

Troy watched her as she hurried into the kitchen and sighed in content. It had already been a whole year since their perfect wedding, and they couldn't be any happier with their lives. Basketball was going perfectly and Gabriella's teaching at the school was also a fun ride as well. They had also been talking quite seriously about adding a child to their family, as Gabriella had always wanted children and was so good with them while their parents were both pestering them about grandchildren. Unfortunately, it was much harder than it seemed.

When Troy was much younger, he thought that having a baby was a simple thing. All you had to do was have sex and you would automatically get pregnant, so long as you didn't use protection. Now he was learning, though, that there was always a chance that one would not fall pregnant, and every time this was the case for him and Gabriella. They'd been trying for over a year and still they were childless. It was mildly frustrating, and Gabriella didn't want to come to terms with the fact that they might need to visit a doctor if problems persisted.

It was an early September morning; Troy was headed off to practice and Gabriella to her back-to-school meeting. She wished so badly that she could get pregnant and have a child, just so the thoughts of infertility didn't plague her mind any longer. As she sat through meeting after meeting with the science department at South Valley High School, it was all she could think about. Her mind was racing with the thoughts. She had missed her last two periods. Could that mean what she hoped it meant? Her heart suddenly began pounding and she needed badly to run to the nearest drug store.

On her hour and a half break between meetings, which was meant to be spent eating lunch, Gabriella raced to the nearest pharmacy, bought three or four boxes of pregnancy tests, and sat in her car in contemplation. Surely it was doing no good just staring at the colorful boxes, but she couldn't bring herself to take one. She needed help, and when Gabriella needed advice there was only one person she went to. She drove calmly to the twenty-story building that seemed to overlook the entire state and addressed the secretary sweetly.

"Taylor McKessie, please."

"Do you have an appointment?"

Gabriella smirked. "No. Just tell her it's Gabriella and that it's urgent."

Taylor met Gabriella outside of her office before she even knocked on the door. "What's urgent? Are you okay? Is something wrong with Troy? Oh my god, just tell me before I freak out!"

"Taylor, you're already freaking out." Gabriella pointed out. "I needed... someone."

"And you picked me over Troy?" Taylor asked in surprise. "I don't think this has ever happened before. I feel honored!"

"I think I'm pregnant and I need you to be there when I take the test." Gabriella blurted out.

Taylor's mouth fell open. "Oh...okay. Bathroom's... right there."

Gabriella nodded and opened one of the tests, but before she entered the bathroom, she panicked. "I'm so nervous!"

"No, don't be! Think about how happy you'll be when it comes out positive!" Taylor reassured, touching her friend's shoulder.

"Do you know how many of these I've taken?" Gabriella asked rhetorically. "They've come out negative each time. I don't think I can deal with that again!"

Taylor frowned. "I know, it must be so hard. I'm sorry."

"But this time feels different." The brunette started. "I missed my last two periods, so that has to mean something, doesn't it?"

"You didn't tell me that!" Taylor accused. "Gabriella, if you haven't been menstruating, then God, you've got nothing to worry about! Go take that test and confirm it!"

She smiled softly. "I will. I will. God, think about how great it would be to tell Troy that we're having a baby tonight. It's our anniversary, you know."

Taylor chuckled. "I know."

A few minutes later, Gabriella was pacing back and forth, hands raking through her hair as Taylor examined the test and then the directions on the box. "Oh holy shit, Taylor. I can't look at it. You have to do it for me."

"I am, I am. Calm down."

"I can't calm down! This is so nerve-wracking!" Gabriella shrieked. "Ugh, what does it say?"

"Nothing yet."

"Are you sure? Damn, how long does this take?"

"It says about two minutes, but it's been- oh, wait, results." Taylor stopped talking. She couldn't bear to tell Gabriella the news.

"What? What!?! Am I pregnant?" Her hopes were through the roof. "I'm pregnant, aren't I?"

Taylor shook her head, showing her the pregnancy test which showed only one line. "No honey. Not this time."

Gabriella sank into the chair in front of Taylor's desk. "I'm... n-not?"

The disappointment she felt at the moment was one she'd never felt before. It didn't make sense. They'd been trying for so long... was it even humanly possible for it not to happen after so much trying? It didn't make sense. She hadn't had a period in two months! Normally skipping periods would mean a pregnancy, and yet she wasn't pregnant. There was no explanation for this problem, and Gabriella knew she'd have to tell Troy that they had to make an appointment with a fertility doctor if they ever wanted to have children.

"I was just so hoping that this time would be it." Gabriella said quietly. "I really believed I was pregnant this time."

"Maybe you are," Taylor shrugged. "These tests are always wrong. Take a few more."

However, Gabriella took this advice, and even after the seven other tests she took, each one was still negative. She sunk down even farther into the chair, as if she were in a therapist's office, and sighed. This was her first wedding anniversary with the most amazing guy in the world, and here she was spending it being let down. She said her goodbyes to Taylor and headed back to the school. Although she was not anxious to get her day over, she knew she had to keep going. There was still hope that it could happen next month, right?

If only she was so sure.

* * *

In December, a few days after her birthday and before Christmas, Gabriella went out shopping with Sharpay and her twins. They'd shopped all over Sacramento and downtown LA trying to find the perfect gifts for their friends, families, and husbands. Madeleine and Lauren didn't complain once, loving the attention they were receiving from both ends of the spectrum. But of course, being as stubborn as she was, Sharpay insisted they stop at the nearest pharmacy and try a pregnancy test again. Gabriella, though appearing to be annoyed, still had a glimmer of hope deep down.

"Come on, just one or two tests and then we'll get back to our shopping," Sharpay pushed open the door to the girl's bathroom and handed Gabriella a test in exchanged for her other daughter. "It's not a big deal. Just do it."

Gabriella followed the directions as always and stood with Sharpay over the sink, staring at the sticks and waiting for results. "How is it that you got pregnant right away?"

Sharpay shrugged. "I don't know. We weren't even really planning it. It just sort of... happened."

"So you didn't plan it and you get pregnant." Gabriella deadpanned. "We plan it and I'm not pregnant. Anything wrong with that picture?"

"Yes Gabriella, everything's wrong with that picture." Sharpay sighed. "But I don't know what to say. There's nothing I can do about it. I think you should see a doctor."

They glanced down at the tests which both read negative results. Gabriella emitted a frustrated scream.

"I'm sorry." Sharpay uttered, offering her one of her daughters. "You can have one of mine if you want. Well, for the time-being."

Gabriella barely had the heart to laugh, but she found it somewhere. "How generous of you."

* * *

In mid-April, Troy had a conference in New York City with the Knicks, and Gabriella was spending an afternoon with Kelsi, Martha and Ryan as they took her around the city. She had only been to the city once in her lifetime, and that was when her father took her there for her fifth birthday to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. She hardly remembered what Time Square looked like, and was beaming with pride and excitement as they walked through the streets and peered in the windows of the shops.

But as obsessed as Gabriella was beforehand, she hadn't changed a bit.

"You guys, can we make a bathroom stop?" She asked innocently. "I'll be right back."

"Oh I'll go too," Kelsi nodded. "I was just going to suggest that we stop."

And once again she tried. And once again she failed.

"Damn it!" Gabriella cried in frustration. "It's never going to work for us, is it?"

"Don't give up hope, Gabriella," Kelsi encouraged sweetly.

"How can I not? It's been almost two years of nonstop failure!" Gabriella shrieked. "You don't know what it's like to see negatively each month. Each time it's try and fail, try and fail!"

Kelsi pulled her friend into a hug, silently consoling her. There was nothing more that she could do.

* * *

"Troy! Troy, I think this is it! I think... do you see it? Look! There's another line!" Gabriella shrieked excitedly, hopping onto the bed where Troy was sleeping and shaking him awake. "Look, double lines! Double lines!"

Troy opened his eyes and squinted in the early morning sunlight to see the stick his wife was waving at him. He frowned. "There's only one line, Gabriella."

"No! No there's two!" She insisted, "See, it's kind of faded, but it's there! There's another one!"

It was early July, and Troy and Gabriella were beginning to get desperate. It was only seven in the morning, and she woke up early to take a few pregnancy tests. Troy, however, was tired of the failure. He wanted to see a doctor to confirm what he already knew was true- they were infertile. There was no way that a couple could try for two years and not get pregnant. He sat up in bed and tried to see what Gabriella was seeing. But there really was only one line.

"There's no second line there. Only one."

"No, but-" Her voice quivered.

"Babe," Troy touched her cheek tenderly. "It's not going to happen for us this way. We have to go see a doctor."

She sighed. Very, very quietly, she whispered, "Okay."

"I know you don't like doctors, but-"

"I hate them," Gabriella corrected. "But we have to do something."

"I'm sorry." Troy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her closer to him.

Gabriella slung her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry too."


	5. Sorrow

_I see you staring at me! Ooh, I'm a trendsetter. Yes this is true 'cause what I do- no one can do it better! You can talk about me, 'cause I'm a hot topic! I see you watching me, watching me, and I know you want it!!_

**Lol. Sorry. "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls. Our hip-hop song this year, and I just came home from dance so it's stuck in my head. Anyways... that last one was sad, but this is even sadder. Thank you all for helping me get to 60 reviews! I love you! Let's get to 70!!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reason for infertility among women. This causes no ovulation in the ovaries. The most common reason for infertility in men is low sperm count.

* * *

Chapter Five: Sorrow

"So do you want to go shopping later?" Sharpay asked her friend over the phone late one morning. "Maddie and Laurie need dresses for my premiere."

"Can't." Gabriella answered with a yawn. "Troy and I are going to the fertility doctor this afternoon. What a joy that'll be."

"Oh, that's today?" Sharpay asked. "I forgot all about that."

It had been two years since Troy and Gabriella's wedding... and since their first trial for a child. It was the middle of January now, and they had finally gotten an appointment with a fertility doctor to see if there was anything wrong with them and if there was to get treatment. Gabriella still had hope that they were fine and normal, but Troy on the other hand knew there was something wrong. He didn't like going to doctors any more than she did and was certainly not looking forward to this visit. Gabriella was grading tests in the faculty room while also speaking to her friend, not a bit nervous, just anxious.

"Yeah, apparently a lot of people are having fertility problems these days and they were backed up for months. But we finally got in. I've never done this before and I don't really know what to expect but I can't stand the anticipation any longer."

"I don't blame you. I don't think I could take it." Sharpay shook her head. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks Shar. Listen, I gotta go. I have a class in ten minutes and I have to get to the room before the bell rings and I'm struggling between hordes of kids."

"Oh the joys of high school." Sharpay laughed. "I'll talk to you later."

"Definitely. Bye." Gabriella hung up and made the trip down to the Biology room where her class would take place. Already students were pouring into her room and she greeted them warmly. When the second bell rang and everyone turned their attention to her, she grinned. "Good afternoon!"

A chorus of greetings was heard. "Okay, we're doing cells today guys. Take out your note packets and follow along. The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms. It is often called the building block of life. There are two different classifications of cells- prokaryotic and eukaryotic. Chelsea, what is the difference between the two?"

The blonde girl shrugged. "I don't know. Don't they, like, not have a nucleus or something?"

"Exactly!" Gabriella grinned. "Good job. What else, though? There's something else that a prokaryotic cell has that a eukaryotic cell does not have."

A timid boy in the front raised his hand. "A cell wall."

"Very good Michael. And what do we know about a cell that has a cell wall?"

No one answered and Gabriella stared pointedly at them. "Come on, you know this. Not all cells have a cell wall. So if it does have one it's a...?"

"Plant cell!" An energetic voice shouted from the back of the room.

Gabriella chuckled. "Very good."

"Wait, Mrs. Bolton?" A small redhead in the front asked. "Cell walls and cell membranes aren't the same thing?"

"No they're not, good question Allie." Gabriella explained. "All cells have a plasma membrane that surrounds it to hold in the liquids and contents inside. Only plant cells have a hard outer shell called the cell wall to protect the cell and act as a first defense. Very good question. Hopefully all of you were paying attention."

"We always pay attention to you, Mrs. B." A guy in the back promised. A few students snickered.

She chuckled. "Thank you Brandon. Okay! So let's get started on the contents of a cell. I'm going to give you the names, but your homework tonight is to give me their functions."

The class groaned and she reassured them. "I know, I know, it seems like a lot of work. But trust me, it goes really fast. The information is in your textbook on page 119 and 120. Okay, please copy these names down and you might be able to get your homework started at the end of class. The nucleolus, nucleus, ribosome, endoplasmic reticulum- though you may see it listed as ER- Golgi apparatus, cytoskeleton, mitochondria, centrioles, vacuole, lysosomes and the cytoplasm. Please make sure you've gotten these copied down."

"I hate cells, Mrs. B." Brandon's friend Logan called out. "They're boring. When do we get to do fun stuff?"

Gabriella smiled slyly. "Well, we do get into our reproductive unit in a few months. That's 'fun stuff' isn't it?"

The girls laughed and Logan shook his head. "Not really."

"I'll make it fun for you guys, don't worry." Gabriella joked. "I'm thinking Reproductive Organ Bingo, what do you say?"

"I like that idea," A brunette named Bridgette laughed. "It sounds fun!"

"Me too," Chelsea agreed. "You always make things fun, Mrs. Bolton."

"Thank you. I try."

Gabriella laughed with her students as they finished copying down the homework and left the room as the bell rang. They said goodbye to her, each one of them did, and a couple even high-fived her on the way out. She shook her head. Her students were characters, that was for sure. She loved her job and at her last meeting the head of the science department had pulled her aside to tell her she was the class favorite. That had made her smile. After her lunch break and two other classes, it was time to go. She turned in the tests from the day before to the Scantron machine to grade and headed to her car.

She went home for an hour or so to do some housework before heading to the meeting. She swept the kitchen and did some laundry. She ironed some shirts Troy had worn to the gala they'd attended that weekend and vacuumed the family and formal living rooms. She dusted the dining room and cleaned the bathrooms. She didn't have to do any of this, but she did. There was no real reason Gabriella was cleaning the entire house, but she did it anyway. She needed a time killer and wasn't going to sit in the waiting room of the fertility clinic alone while she waited for Troy. After beginning dinner and putting it in the crock pot, she decided it was time to go to the doctor's.

She simply couldn't bear to wait any longer.

Upon arriving at the clinic, she met Troy there at the exact same time. He kissed her in greeting and they walked into the room together, hand in hand. "Troy and Gabriella Bolton," Gabriella offered when the secretary asked and she nodded, handing them a questionnaire and forms to sign. While Gabriella signed the papers, Troy was astonished by the type of questions they were asking.

"Can you believe some of these questions? 'Do you have trouble making sperm or does your sperm have low motility rate?' How would I know? That's why I'm here!"

Gabriella giggled. "Check the unsure column."

Troy nodded and continued. "'Have you ever had...Check all that apply: cystic fibrosis, chemotherapy, radiation treatment, an addiction to drugs or alcohol, an overexposure to environmental toxins or pesticides, or a sexually-transmitted disease?' These questions are ridiculous!"

"Shh," Gabriella quieted him. "Some of these people could have had one of these conditions!"

"How about this one, Gab? 'Would you like to receive information on fertility treatments during today's visit?'"

She bit her lip. "Yeah. We do, don't we?"

He shrugged. "It's up to you."

"No, it's up to us." Gabriella shook her head. "It's your baby too."

"But you're the one who has to go through all the tests and shots..." Troy left it open-ended. "Yes or no?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes. Go with yes."

"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton?" A very young male doctor addressed them and waved them back into a clinical annex. "Come right with me."

Troy and Gabriella followed this doctor into the room and he shut the door. They sat down upon a couch inside his office while he sat behind his desk. "Good afternoon. My name is Doctor Daniel Clark. It's nice to meet both of you."

Troy shook his hand while Gabriella just stared at him, amazed at how young he was. "You look fresh out of medical school."

Dr. Clark laughed. "That's because I am. I just got my degree and started working here two years ago."

"Wow," Gabriella marveled. "You're qualified, though, right?"

He grinned. "I get asked that question a lot. But I am, don't you worry. They wouldn't have hired me otherwise. Now, let's talk about what's been going on between you two. How long have you been trying for children?"

"About two years," Gabriella answered, not missing a beat.

"And what made you decide to see a doctor?"

"Well, I had been missing a few periods a year, about three or four, but still the tests came out negative. It just didn't seem right."

"Plus," Troy added. "We really want children. And we're frustrated."

Dr. Clark nodded. "Most couples in your situation are. This would just be a normal case, but since you've said, Mrs. Bolton, that you're missing periods, I'm going to have to run a few tests."

"That's fine," She nodded in agreement. "And you can call me Gabriella."

Dr. Clark smiled. "Okay. Please, come with me."

He brought the couple into a doctor's room and told Gabriella to lie on the examining table. "What we're going to do first is just give an ultrasound to your abdomen to search for possible scar tissue or endometriosis. This could be the cause of your infrequent or skipped periods, or the reason for this could be polycystic ovarian syndrome."

"Polycystic ovarian syndrome?" Gabriella's eyes widened. "That's what my aunt had and she wasn't ever able to have children. Even after using fertility treatments."

"Unfortunately, that's the risk." Dr. Clark frowned. "Many believe that using these drugs will automatically make one pregnant but it's not true. They do fail."

After a moment of studying the screen, Dr. Clark turned back to Gabriella. "Well, there isn't any sign of endometriosis; however I believe I did detect some sort of blockage in your fallopian tube. We'll need to do a more thorough examination."

Dr. Clark not only tested Gabriella's organs but Troy's as well and brought the results to a laboratory. Afterwards, he met them back in his office to inform them of what was to come. "It will take about two to three weeks for the results to come in from the lab. Then we'll call you with the results and you can schedule another appointment if necessary."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Clark." Troy shook his hand again as Gabriella thanked him as well.

On their way out of the office, Gabriella sighed. "Now, all we have to do is hope."

* * *

The phone rang once. And then twice.

Gabriella was scared stiff as she usually was nowadays when the phone rang. They were eating dinner- they'd ordered Chinese food and were enjoying their chicken lo mein, when suddenly they froze. It was right in between the two to three week-mark Dr. Clark had told them it would be, and they somehow knew deep down that the call was not from a friend or coworker... this was the call. _The_ call. The one that proved whether they could be parents naturally or not. Troy placed his takeout box on the table and picked up the phone, Gabriella watching his every move with caution.

"Bolton residence," He answered nervously. "Yes, thank you... Yes, she's here with me. Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Well... What does that mean? Is there... Oh... Okay. Thank you. Thanks a lot."

Troy hung up the phone and turned to Gabriella, who already had tears cascading down her face. "Is... Is there a problem with me or you...?"

"Well actually, it's both of us." Troy sighed. "I joked about the low motility sperm question but... it seems to be the case with me. And you... have a slight case of polycystic ovarian syndrome."

"So... what does that mean? I mean, for us?"

"It means we can keep trying," He explained softly. "But there's a very good chance it's never going to happen for us."

"Oh my god..." Gabriella stood, abandoning their dinner and walking herself straight into Troy's embrace. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." He kissed her hair and closed his eyes.

She cried silently into his shoulder as he rubbed her back. "I was so ready... we were so ready for this."

"I know. But we're going to do something." Troy promised her. "We're going to have a baby."

Their strong determination outweighed the sadness of the moment.


	6. Optimism

**Thank you all so much for your reviews! Honestly, 74 for only five chapters is pretty awesome. This is the last of the sadness, I promise. I'm glad you're enjoying my story as much as I did writing it. Thank you again and I love you all!!  
**

**Random Multiple Fact:** All fertility treatments carry an increased risk of having more than one child. Usually, by the aid of these drugs, the couple has twins or triplets. Even quadruplets are becoming more common, but the chances of having quintuplets, sextuplets, or septuplets are very, very slim. Although, it does happen. ;)

* * *

Chapter Six: Optimism

A week following the news that Troy and Gabriella could not have children, they had returned to Dr. Clark's office to learn about the alternatives. Telling their families had proven to be extremely difficult, as both Maria and Lucille and Jack were devastated by the news. All they wanted was to have grandchildren they could spoil, and they could only get these grandchildren from one source- Troy and Gabriella, since they were both only children. Both sets of parents, however, had encouraged them not to give up and to receive information about having children through fertility treatments.

Troy and Gabriella had gathered all of their friends together one afternoon the week prior to tell them in one large group instead of having to go through the pain multiple times. Gabriella, Sharpay, and Taylor had cried together, each of them knowing how much Troy and Gabriella wanted to have children and loathing the news. Chad and Zeke talked with Troy about things he could do to make it possible, and after their friends left, they made the appointment with Dr. Clark for the following week. Dr. Clark was happy to meet with them to discuss fertility treatments. He wanted this young couple to be happy.

Currently, Troy and Gabriella were sitting in the chairs in front of Dr. Clark's desk, waiting for the doctor to inform them of their choices and the risks and successes of each of the drugs they were to choose from. Dr. Clark entered the room and greeted each of them happily. Gabriella's eyes fixated on the packet under his arm entitled 'Fertility'. She wanted so desperately to have a child and she knew Troy did as well. And then of course was the disappointment they'd caused their parents. Gabriella was sick of disappointment. She wanted happiness. And she wanted it now.

"Using fertility treatments is a very risky process that involves a lot of time and decision-making." Dr. Clark informed them. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

Gabriella nodded while Troy answered. "Yes. We really want to do this."

"Okay. Because you only have slight case of PCOS, Gabriella, it shouldn't take too long for you to get pregnant; however we're not going take chances. We're going to put you on Pergonal, which is an extremely powerful drug that will help the baby develop in your inhospitable environment. We're also going to perform Intrauterine Insemination to help the two of you."

"Okay, thank you so much." Gabriella expressed her gratitude.

"It's my job to make the two of you happy. But there are still risks at stake. Pergonal is a hormone shot, taken at the beginning of each menstrual cycle, about two to three days before. It produces an extra amount of hormones needed to let baby develop in the uterus. By combining the use of this drug with IUI, there should be no way you won't get pregnant."

Gabriella gasped excitedly. "Really? Oh my god!"

"That's great!" Troy kissed the side of her head. "That's so great."

"Be forewarned, the first cycle usually proves not to work. Don't expect to get pregnant the first time you try Pergonal, because it takes some getting used to for your body with these extra hormones." Dr. Clark advised. "And, it's extremely expensive."

"Dr. Clark, we understand the expenses of these drugs," Troy explained. "We did our research. But we've been trying for kids for two years and have been tortured by having to watch other parents with their newborn babies everywhere we turn. We want to do this. Nothing is going to change our minds."

Gabriella grinned at her husband. "Well said, Troy."

Dr. Clark only nodded. "Alright. The side effects of these drugs are mild- usually nausea or bloating. I'm going to give the first of the injections to you now."

It was painful, Gabriella had to admit, and she gripped Troy's hand for dear life. Dr. Clark then taught her how to give herself injections and talked about the risks of using fertility drugs, such as multiple births or not getting pregnant at all. Gabriella had informed the doctor that she and Troy would be thrilled to have twins, as they would most likely fight over one baby. Dr. Clark laughed and informed them that a past user of Pergonal was there to visit them and tell all about their experience with the drug. A couple in their mid-thirties entered the room with three little boys, around age four or five.

"Dr. Clark, is this the couple?" The woman asked sweetly.

"It is, Molly, it is." Dr. Clark introduced them to Troy and Gabriella. "Troy and Gabriella Bolton, this is Luke and Molly Sims and their boys Will, Jake, and Owen."

"It's so nice to meet you!" Molly greeted both Troy and Gabriella. "We had such a great experience with this drug... just look at the outcome! Will, Jake and Owen are almost five now. We couldn't have done it without Pergonal. It definitely is the perfect choice."

"Weren't you at all worried about other risks?" Gabriella asked curiously. "Multiples have their own hazards."

"Ours was a very rare case." Luke elucidated. "You usually only have one baby, maybe twins. Some women don't have even one. So triplets? That was rare."

After talking with the Sims', Troy and Gabriella had a clear idea of what to expect and headed home to tell their friends and family of what was to come. Dr. Clark was right- January's cycle failed and she didn't fall pregnant the first time she used it. Gabriella wasn't disappointed, however, as she knew that was what was to expect. She continued carrying on her life with Troy, living much happier than she was months before and still teaching at the school. Troy had continued to play basketball wonderfully and along with Chad brought his team to the playoffs. They were having a great life, lived with optimism.

February came and went, and the second cycle of Pergonal failed yet again. But still, Troy and Gabriella did not give up hope. They continued to hope and pray that at some point the drug would take and they would have a child. They traveled back home to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a week to visit their parents and the life they left behind. They were bombarded by questions regarding pregnancy and Pergonal throughout the whole trip, and were eager to get back home to reality. Troy and Gabriella loved their parents' to death, but couldn't bear the non-stop questions coming from both ends.

March was the Evans twins' birthday, and Ryan, Kelsi, Martha, and Jason traveled back to California to celebrate it. Sharpay threw a huge party that included the ten of them plus hundreds of coworkers, family friends, and family in general. March's cycle had also failed, unfortunately for Troy and Gabriella, and they tried hard not to show their disappointment. After all, it wasn't their day to complain. It was Ryan and Sharpay's birthday and they were having a great time celebrating with them. Pregnant or not.

April came and April went. Pergonal had still not proven to be useful. By May, Gabriella was feeling ridiculously hopeless. She trudged into the living room after one tiring afternoon dictating Biology finals for the entire sophomore class at South Valley High School. She was tired and cranky, and pissed off because May's cycle had once again failed. Since basketball season was long since over, Troy had been spending his days at home or running errands. This particular afternoon, he was flipping through the channels on the television when his emotional wife returned home.

"Troy," She was on the verge of tears. "I think we should stop taking Pergonal."

"What?" Troy seemed surprised and turned off the TV as she came and sat next to him on the couch. "Why?"

"It's not working!" She shrieked. "We've been using it for almost six months and still no results. I'm getting so frustrated and my arm is permanently bruised from the constant injections! I can't take it anymore!"

Troy hugged her to him as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "I know it's tough and I know it's frustrating when nothing happens, baby, but you have to keep going. Do you really want to give up?"

"Yes." She cried.

"You really want to throw away our chances of having a baby?" Troy asked, not threatening her, just really wanting to know why she'd given up so easily.

"It's just so exasperating." Gabriella looked at Troy. "I'm sorry I can't have a baby on my own. I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"Hey hey hey," Troy stopped her, wiping at her tears. "You have nothing to be sorry for. This is not your fault. It's not just your problem- it's mine too. I can't have kids either. We're going to get through this together as long as we have faith in ourselves. You can't give up, babe. I know how hard it is. I've watched you and held your hand through this whole thing. But we can't stop. We have to keep trying."

"I don't know if I can..." She sobbed, her shoulders shaking in his grasp.

He shook his head. "You can. I know you can. You're one of the strongest people I know. You and I can get through anything, remember?"

Still, Gabriella was not convinced and Troy came up with a proposition for her. "Look, take Pergonal one more time. Just once more. If the June cycle fails, we can stop using it, okay? We'll look into adoption. Is that fair?"

Gabriella nodded. "Sure."

"Just do it one more time. For me."

"I'll do it for you, Troy." She promised. "I'll do it for you."

* * *

June meant school was out for the summer and Gabriella couldn't wait for summer vacation, almost as much as the students she was teaching. She had taken her last cycle of Pergonal just days before and was praying to God that good results would come of it. She said goodbye to her fellow science teachers and piled her things into the backseat of her car. She wouldn't need any of that until the fall and she couldn't wait for months of relaxation. With a spark of hope, Gabriella drove home eagerly to take a pregnancy test. She was nervous but excited, as this was the most defining test she'd ever take in her life. It came out negative, they would have to go through the toils of adopting, but if it came out positive...

She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she was praying for a positive reading.

Gabriella barely greeted her husband before hurrying to the bathroom and ripping open a pregnancy test. She did all of the necessary instructions before placing it on the bathroom counter and waiting anxiously. She was pacing the bathroom tiles, her heart racing and breathing growing faster and faster. It only took two minutes for results and she kept glancing at the time, restlessly aware of the possibilities. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two minutes were over. She took a deep breath and looked at the end of the stick. Her heart nearly stopped and her eyes bulged.

Two lines.

Because she didn't believe the first test, she took three more. All four of the tests had two lines. A high-pitched scream emitted from her lips and it wasn't long before Troy was at the door, asking what was wrong. She said nothing, only passed the tests over to him, wide-eyed. He glanced at them and grinned, leaning down and hugging her tightly against his body.

"I knew it would work!! I knew it!" He laughed and kissed her passionately on lips. "See why we couldn't give up?"

"We're going to have a baby!"


	7. Shock

**Note to self- CUT TOENAILS BEFORE GOING TO POINTE!!! Okay, now I'll hopefully read this and not endure another half hour of pain ever again. Thank you soooo much for all your reviews! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I can't wait for you to read this one! It's pretty good, if I do say so myself! Enjoy!!!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** The average gestational age for a sextuplet pregnancy is 29.1 weeks, as opposed to the normal 40 weeks for a singleton pregnancy. The average gestational age for septuplets is 27 weeks, but Bobbi McCaughey made it to 30.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Shock

"Mom," Gabriella could hardly contain her excitement as she called her mother that very afternoon. "Are you at home?"

"_Yes Gabriella, why?_"

"I need you to go to the Bolton's right away. It's extremely important. I'll call you again when you get there."

"_Just stay on the phone with me while I walk over_."

"Okay, okay. Just get Jack and Lucille with you." Gabriella instructed. "Troy and I have an announcement."

In about ten or so minutes, Maria, Jack, and Lucille were gathered in the kitchen with Troy and Gabriella on speaker phone. "_Okay honey, what is it? Don't keep us waiting any longer!!_"

"I'm pregnant!"

There was silence on the other end, before Maria cheered, Jack congratulated, and Lucille sobbed. "_I'm so excited! Our first grandchild!!_"

"_I'm so happy. I'm so happy!_"

"_Congratulations son! You too, Gabriella!_"

Gabriella handed the phone over to Troy and used her cell phone to call their friends. Life was looking up again. They were finally having the baby they'd waited to have for the last two years. Gabriella was about ready to kiss Dr. Clark for recommending Pergonal. After making all of her calls and shrieking in excitement with her friends, she placed her cell phone delicately on the counter and kissed Troy's shoulder, who was still talking with their parents. Quietly, she walked upstairs and into one of the guest bedrooms they had down the hall. Closing her eyes she could see the crib in the corner with the changing table by the window. She saw the mobile over the crib and the baby crying in the middle of the night, only to stop when she and Troy arrived to make him or her feel better. She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard Troy approach her.

"What'cha thinking about?"

"The baby," She admitted. "Do you think we should use this room or the other one for the nursery?"

"I don't know. Don't you think the other room is bigger?"

"Yeah, that's true." She nodded. "I don't know. I just can't wait. Nine months is so long..."

"Hey, we've been waiting two years," Troy pointed out. "Nine months is nothing."

"You're right," Gabriella grinned. "I'm so ecstatic. You're going to be a great daddy."

"And you're going to be an amazing mommy," He slung an arm around her shoulders. "So do you want a boy or a girl?"

"A girl, not going to lie," Gabriella blushed. "I've always imagined having a daughter. But I wouldn't be disappointed with a son either. Then you could have your basketball star."

"My son will be the basketball star," He stated adamantly. "But if he wants to do some theater on the side, that's okay too."

Gabriella giggled. "He'll have to make some time for the decathlon too, because he's definitely getting mommy's brains."

"Oh yes, our son'll be the singing genius of a basketball star. Sounds perfect."

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Okay wait," Troy suddenly had a thought. "No matter what, we cannot let our daughter turn out like Sharpay."

Gabriella laughed out loud. "Sharpay didn't turn out so bad. Her high school character was a little... over the top, but now she's a mommy too and she's dialed down her overall bitchiness."

"The only thing I want our little girl to inherit from Aunt Sharpay is her confidence," He admitted. "Because I want her to always know she can do everything she wants and not doubt herself."

"Well you know," She began. "She could inherit something from all of us. Confidence from Sharpay, brains from Mom, impressively good looks from Dad, multi-talent from Kelsi, astounding dance moves from Martha, good humor from Jason, practicality from Taylor, sense of style from Ryan, and determination from Zeke."

"What about Chad?" Troy asked, noting she'd left him out.

"I don't know. That one's hard." She thought a moment. "Good hair?"

"No afro!"

Chuckling, Gabriella thought it over. "Can you imagine that? That would be one perfect little child."

"Gabriella, this child is coming from you and me. It already _is_ perfect."

* * *

On a rare Saturday when Sharpay wasn't filming her new movie and Taylor wasn't working, the three girls went shopping at Once Upon A Child, a large children's boutique in central Sacramento that sold clothing, furniture, and toys for children. Sharpay, with both daughters on her hips, had been there many times before when buying things for Madeleine and Lauren, and advised that Gabriella do the same. So far, she loved what she was seeing, but hadn't bought anything yet. She needed a strict confirmation that she was pregnant before actually buying anything for the baby.

"So I can't even imagine how excited you are right now," Taylor gushed. "After all this disappointment you two deserve some excitement."

"Mommy, the slides!!" Madeleine squealed. At three-years-old, the Baylor twins were sneaky and stubborn but utterly adorable and lovable. Gabriella had enjoyed watching them grow throughout the years and Sharpay sighed as she glanced towards the mini-playground in the middle of the store.

"You can go play, Maddie. Take Laur with you." She watched as they ran off, hand in hand, towards the slide that led to a ball pit in the middle of the room. "Our kids are going to grow up together and be best friends, Gabriella. Just so you know."

"Oh, okay Sharpay," Gabriella laughed. "But seriously you guys I can't wait to start buying clothes and picking out furniture... it's going to be so much fun."

"And this place is so adorable!" Taylor beamed. "I'll have to remember to come back here to shop for your baby shower!"

"Oh my god! And the baby shower!" Gabriella exclaimed. "I forgot about that!"

"So any fun symptoms yet?"

"Yeah, actually the morning sickness has been really bad but really weird. I'll get it in stages. First I'll be totally fine, but then I'll start to get really nauseous for about an hour. Then the vomiting will start and it won't end for another hour and a half or so. And after that time is up, I'm fine. Just like that."

"That is weird." Sharpay remarked. "My morning sickness wasn't anything like that."

"Troy and I have our first doctor's appointment next week. I'm so excited!"

"Oh, that's SO exciting!" Taylor squealed. "Make sure you print the ultrasounds so we can see!"

"Oh of course," Gabriella agreed. "I've already started making a baby scrapbook."

"Aw, that's so cute. You two are so excited," Sharpay cooed, and then glancing over at the playground, she noticed her daughters were nowhere in sight. "Hey, where're Maddie and Laur? Madeleine! Lauren!"

The two identical twins hopped out from behind a clothes rack, grinning ear to ear and yelled, "Ta da! Here we are Mommy!"

Sharpay was not amused. "Madeleine Elizabeth and Lauren Michelle do not _ever_ scare me like that again!"

"We love you, Mommy."

"Yeah, we love you!"

Gabriella's heart melted at the sight of the two little girls hugging their mother, which Sharpay so easily gave in to, and thought of how excited she'd be when she was in that position in just a few months. She couldn't wait for the hugs and the kisses, the 'I love you's' and the giggles. She was just so ecstatic to be a mom and she couldn't wait. Why did nine months seem so long? Why did you have to wait so long? Lauren slipped away from her mother and ran towards Gabriella, pointing at her belly.

"Mommy said baby in there," Lauren said in confusion. "Baby?"

"Yup, there's a baby in there," Gabriella smoothed her dark curls away from her face. "Remember when you were a baby in your mommy's tummy?"

Lauren shook her head and held up two fingers. "Two babies."

"I know, your mommy had two babies in her belly, didn't she? Well I don't know if I'm that lucky, Lauren." Gabriella joked. "Do you want to give the baby a kiss?"

Lauren nodded eagerly. "Kisses! Kisses!"

"Go ahead, give her a kiss!"

She leaned forward and kissed Gabriella's stomach. "Hi baby!"

Gabriella giggled and kissed the top of Lauren's head. "You are the sweetest thing. Sharpay, I think I might just steal your daughter."

"Um, I don't know, I kind of want her." Sharpay played along. "You're having your own in a few months."

"Then can I have one?" Taylor asked, who currently was getting a hug from Madeleine. "Because I think I'm in love."

* * *

Keeping one hand protectively over her stomach and the other safely clasped in Troy's, Gabriella made her way up the sidewalk and into the doctor's office for their first meeting with Dr. Clark and the first ultrasound. Both of them were extremely excited, for today was the day they saw their child for the first time. They checked in and sat down in the waiting room, surrounded by other parents who were experiencing the same thing. Others were much farther along in the pregnancy but they all had the same expression: joy. This extreme delight that there was a child on the way for each of the people in the room just filled everyone's hearts with happiness.

"Troy and Gabriella Bolton? The doctor will see you now."

They followed the nurse into the annex and obliged as the nurse took Gabriella's vitals. After she left, Gabriella laid down in the examining chair and Troy pulled up a stool next to her. Dr. Clark entered the room with a smile. "Good afternoon! How are you today?"

"Great, Doctor," Gabriella grinned.

"Everything's been amazing for us." Troy smiled, kissing the side of Gabriella's head. "We're so happy."

"I'm glad you are," Dr. Clark said genuinely. "I'm sorry it took such a long time for Pergonal to take, but I'm pleased that it did. Any symptoms of early pregnancy plaguing you?"

"Just morning sickness," Gabriella declared. "It's really bad. Yesterday, it lasted pretty much all day."

"Oh, that's... odd." Dr. Clark said in concern. "That's not normal. Any ankle swelling? Headaches? Excessive thirst?"

Gabriella was afraid to nod but she did. "I thought that was normal."

"Well they are normal symptoms but usually not experience until later on in the pregnancy. You're only about three weeks along."

Troy stepped in. "Is this a problem?"

Dr. Clark shook his head. "Oh no, not at all. I told you to plan for twins, didn't I? That is most likely what this is. A multiple pregnancy."

Gabriella turned to Troy, a blissful smile on her face. "Twins!"

Troy gave her a quick kiss to show his excitement. Dr. Clark set up the ultrasound wave machine and rubbed the cool jelly across her the skin of stomach, chuckling a little as Gabriella drew in a sharp breath. "Sorry. I forgot to warn you that this is somewhat cold."

"That's okay."

Dr. Clark placed the handle of the machine on her stomach and moved it around a bit to focus in on her uterus. "Let us find ourselves a baby, shall we?"

"Yes, please."

The doctor adjusted the window and the frame of the machine to get a closer view. Then his eyes widened. He'd only been working at this firm for about a year and never had he ever seen such a sight before in his life. He didn't have to ask anyone else, for he knew what he was seeing was real, but it was so remarkably shocking that he was at a loss for words. This was the first time he would deal with a multiple pregnancy so... fascinating, but so risky and he wasn't sure how to handle it- let alone tell the parents, who now took this change in attitude to be a bad thing. Gabriella reached for Troy's hand and gripped it tightly in her own, trying to read the doctor's features.

"I-Is everything okay, Dr. Clark?" Gabriella asked, her voice quavering. "Nothing's wrong, is it? I don't think we can take any more disappointment."

Dr. Clark turned back towards the couple and gave them a weak smile. "Well, how would you classify disappointment?"

Gabriella couldn't say anything. Troy asked, "She's pregnant, isn't she? The tests weren't wrong, were they?"

"Oh yeah, she's pregnant alright." Dr. Clark assured them. "She's really, really pregnant. Why don't you just see for yourselves?"

He turned the monitor towards them and at first Gabriella and Troy weren't sure what they were looking at. Dr. Clark pointed it out immediately. "We've got Baby A, Baby B, Baby C-"

"Three?" Gabriella was surprised.

"-Baby D, Babe E-"

"Five?" Troy was shocked.

"-Baby F, and Baby G," Dr. Clark finished.

"Seven?" Gabriella squeaked. "Seven?"

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Bolton," Dr. Clark coughed. "You're having septuplets."


	8. Fear

**Yay guess what? Today's my half birthday, lol. I can't even believe I've been sixteen for six months already. Anyway, I loved your reactions to the last chapter. Yes, seven babies is a ridiculous amount, haha. Can't wait to see how you guys react to their parenting. They're so shocked and I know you can't wait to see their real reactions. Ready? Haha, here you go. **

**Thanks for the reviews. I got over twenty reviews, so thank you guys! I love you all!!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** The average weight of a sex- or septuplet is around two and a half pounds. They require a stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for anywhere between four to ten weeks.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Fear

"Seven?" Gabriella kept repeating. "Seven?"

Troy stood and walked to the other side of the room, staring out the window and overcome with emotion. He and Gabriella wanted to know what it was like to have one baby. Now they were having seven. He hadn't even heard of having that many children at one time before! He was utterly speechless and shocked and all he wanted to do was have Dr. Clark take it back. Troy wanted him to laugh and say, 'Just kidding! There's only one in there! Man, I really fooled you guys!' But he wasn't laughing. It wasn't a joke. This was truly happening, and Troy couldn't bear to face reality.

"Are you sure?" She asked the doctor. "Can you even have that many in there at one time?"

Dr. Clark chuckled slightly. "It is possible. It most definitely is rare, but it's possible."

"We wanted one," Gabriella said softly. "Only one..."

"Well," Dr. Clark glanced away from the ultrasound machine and met Gabriella's eyes. "There is always a process called selective reduction. We'll schedule an appointment for the procedure soon."

"Wait, reduction?" Her eyes bulged. "As in, taking babies away?"

"Yes. That is the method."

"No! No, we can't-" Gabriella was shaking her head so fast she was giving herself a headache. "We can't do that!"

"Gabriella, it's the best possible option. If we do this, the other babies will have a great survival rate and you'll be able to carry them to full term."

"I'm not going to do that! I can't kill my children!" She was hysterical, and turned to Troy for support. "Troy, don't you agree with me?"

He came to her side, taking her hand and kissing it before nodding. "We're not reducing."

"Reduction really is the right thing to do here," Dr. Clark insisted. "It's not only for the sake of the babies, but also for Gabriella's health."

Gripping Troy's hand, Gabriella stared the doctor in the eye. "Dr. Clark, we have been trying for two years to get pregnant. Two _years_. We finally got our prayers answered and you want to take some of them away? With all due respect, I think you're crazy. I don't care if there are seven babies. I don't care if there're twelve babies! We're not eliminating three or four of the children we tried so desperately to have. It may be too early to see them on an ultrasound, but they're all our children. We're not taking that away."

Troy smiled at her, impressed by her strength on the matter. Dr. Clark nodded, also shocked. "Okay. We're in for a rough ride."

She nodded. "I kind of figured."

Retaking his seat beside his wife, Troy had a question to ask. "When you did the IUI, how many zygotes did you place?"

Dr. Clark seemed prepared. "I figured you would ask that question. The first month we only put one in, because it was the first cycle and was deemed to fail. With each cycle we increased by one, but this month we actually planted ten-"

"Ten?!"

"Well, there was a very good chance only a few would place or none at all would," Dr. Clark explained. "I predicted maybe three or four, but I can't believe that seven of the ten developed. That's what's shocked me the most."

"I can't even believe that that many can fit in there," Troy commented and Gabriella swatted him.

"It is a very small place," Dr. Clark smiled. "That's why the more babies you have, the more likely you are for an extremely premature birth."

"But they have survived before, right?" Gabriella asked tentatively.

"Oh yes. It has happened. It's rare and difficult but it's happened. Have you heard of the McCaughey's?"

The couple shook their head and Dr. Clark began to explicate. "Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey live in Iowa. They gave birth to a healthy set of septuplets in 1997. Two of them have cerebral palsy, however, as a result of being born prematurely. The McCaughey's are very, very lucky people."

"They are," Gabriella agreed. "How far along would they have to go without risking too many problems?"

"I'd say roughly about twenty-nine to thirty weeks. If you can them that far, you shouldn't have to worry about any major health problems." Dr. Clark advised. "But what I really want to discuss with the two of you are the risks of a pregnancy with multiples. The McCaughey Septuplets are the only set of surviving septuplets in the United States. There have been reports of other surviving sets in a few Asian countries, but none have ever been proven. This proves for a very small chance of survival, but I and my team of doctors and nurses will do what ever we can to ensure the survival of your babies."

"Thank you."

Picking up a sheet of paper from his desk, Dr. Clark began to read aloud. "Possible complications for the mother include miscarriage, anemia, a UTI, high blood pressure, organ damage, excessive bleeding or hemorrhaging, polyhydramnios- too much amniotic fluid, or problems with the placenta. For the babies, this could mean illnesses, disabilities, or death."

Gabriella was silent. Troy squeezed her hand. "And these are just possible, right? They don't happen to everyone?"

"Oh no, not everyone. Kate Gosselin didn't have any of these problems when she gave birth to her sextuplets in 2004. The only severe issue she had was second degree burns on her stomach from stretching so fast. That can be placated- though not solved- by Vaseline and ice. You could be lucky and also not have any problems. Or you could be unlucky and have to deal with the concerns that multiple births pose. Either way, we're going to get through this together. I want to bring you in for one to two ultrasounds per week. Normally, a singleton pregnancy has one to two ultrasounds per month, but you are officially a high-risk pregnancy, Gabriella. Congratulations."

She gave him a grim smile. "Thanks... I guess."

"I'm going to schedule you for next Thursday. Is four o'clock a good time?"

They both nodded and thanked Dr. Clark again before leaving the office. Already bombarded by paparazzi, Troy sighed and gripped his wife's hand as the questions began. "Hey what's up guys? Gabriella, are you pregnant? You guys having a baby?"

Gabriella only shrugged but Troy decided to confirm it. "Yeah, we are actually."

"Oh congratulations!"

More questions came and comments flew but Troy and Gabriella ignored the rest. They got to their car and drove home in an awkward but tension filled silence. The problem wasn't with each other. The problem was the seven children Gabriella was carrying. Were they regretting their decision to go with Pergonal to get pregnant? Not at all. It was more of an extreme sensation of shock and fear. They were stunned to find that Gabriella was not pregnant with one but seven babies and they were deathly afraid of the consequences both during and after the pregnancy. After a silence, Gabriella turned to look at Troy.

"Troy, this isn't going to affect us, is it? I mean, our marriage? It's not going to... I don't know..."

"No, Gabriella," With one hand on the wheel, he used his other to squeeze hers. "I love you. I've always loved you and I will always love you. And I know you're scared and I am too... but we're going to get through this together."

For now, that was all she needed.

* * *

"_Seven?!? There're seven?!?_"

"_Please explain to me how the hell there can be seven!_"

"_Oh, I'm glad you didn't reduce. That would've been a horrible decision._"

"_Honey, the risks are so great. I mean, if everything goes okay then we get seven grandchildren but if not..._"

"_You can't be too sure nothing's going to go wrong. There're always complications associated with high-risk pregnancies._"

Gabriella groaned and buried herself deeper into the mass of pillows and sheets that was their bed. It had been two weeks after receiving the news that they were expecting seven babies as opposed to one, and telling their families and friends had proven to be much more difficult than they expected. Each party had freaked out and tried to offer advice or discouraging words and Gabriella was frankly getting quite sick of it. She had taken to staying in bed for the day, opting out of going out with her friends for a day of shopping and instead to lie and think. Unfortunately for her, her friends had emergency house keys. And Taylor and Sharpay arrived only moments after their ended phone call.

"Okay Bolton, out of bed. We're going shopping."

She emitted another groan. "I don't wanna. I'm tired and hungry and I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"But Gabriella, you've got to get out of this house," Taylor protested. "You've been hanging around here for weeks."

"And it's been nice. I've gotten a lot of thinking done."

"No no no," Sharpay shook her head and threw back the covers of Gabriella's bed. "We're going out today, alright? What do you want for breakfast? Taylor'll cook it while I help you get dressed. Did you buy any maternity wear yet? Is there anything in here that'll fit over your pregnant belly?"

Gabriella only stared at her. "I don't even have one yet. It's been like five weeks."

"Well fine. You still have to eat breakfast."

"No I don't," Gabriella sighed, hurrying to the bathroom to vomit.

"Oh, that part I will never miss." Sharpay stated, scrunching her nose in disgust.

Gabriella emerged again, a weary smile on her face. "It just keeps getting better. I really don't feel like going anywhere, guys. I'll get dressed and gladly take you up on that breakfast offer, but I'm completely content with sitting on the couch."

Taylor and Sharpay agreed with her, and after a meal of waffles with fresh strawberries, the three friends were in conversation on the couch, as Gabriella wanted it. "Oh my god, I'm becoming a hermit."

Sharpay snorted. "That's what we were saying before!"

Taylor swatted her. "No you're not, hun, you just need some time away from the world. We understand that. It must be so hard to be going through what you're going through."

The brunette shook her head. "It's not so bad actually. I mean, right now anyway. I just hate hearing about all the negatives. I mean, I know they're all possibilities and pretty much all Troy and I have been getting lately are negatives but I just really want to be optimistic right now. I'm scared, so, so scared, but I have to stay positive. If you mix the pessimistic attitude with fear that just makes for an unruly combination."

"You're completely right," Taylor agreed. "From the beginning I was always on your side. I mean this is really risky, yeah, but if you want to go through with it, I'm not one to discourage."

"It's not our decision to make," Sharpay added. "And I don't understand why everyone is scorning you two. I mean, I think you made the right decision. Lord knows how you'll cope with seven but you two can do it. We all know you can."

Gabriella grinned. "You guys are the best."

"Well, we try."

"Right now, it's all up to God. We've been relying on prayers to get us through." Gabriella sighed. "And right now, that's all we can do."

* * *

"Oh Troy, look at this," Gabriella mentioned a few weeks later. After learning about multiple births, Troy and Gabriella had been doing their research. Gabriella currently was surfing the internet while Troy was standing behind her, looking on. She had an article pulled up about the McCaughey septuplets. "'_The McCaughey septuplets, born to Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey on November nineteenth, 1997, are the world's only set of surviving septuplets to date. In birth order, the children are Kenneth Robert, Alexis May, Natalie Sue, Kelsey Ann, Nathan Roy, Brandon James, and Joel Steven. Two of the children, Alexis and Nathan, suffer from cerebral palsy as a result of their premature birth, but mom Bobbi says, "It doesn't stop them from being normal kids. Nathan works so hard to overcome his disability and Alexis is one of the most outgoing kids you'll ever meet. We don't treat them any differently than the other kids and they don't see themselves as different." The septuplets were born nine weeks prematurely and were listed as in critical condition, but made remarkable progress and went home to join their older sister Mikayla_.'"

"That's a great story," Troy remarked. "Inspiring."

"I know," Gabriella clicked out of the site. "Here's another one."

"Septuplets heartache- The Frustaci story..." Troy read the headline. "Oh no."

"'_The Frustaci septuplets- four boys and three girls- were born by Cesarean section 12 weeks premature. One of the girls was stillborn and three of the other children- one girl and two boys- passed away within nineteen days of the birth. At the age of 2, the three surviving infants were found to have cerebral palsy. A year later, more bad news- the three were diagnosed as mentally retarded. Heartache and pain followed the Frustacis for years to come_.'" Gabriella read and then was silent.

"She used Pergonal..." Troy said quietly.

"Well so did Mrs. McCaughey." Gabriella reassured him.

"I don't know what to think now." He stated. "On one end, it's happiness and success. On the other it's sadness and failure. And the worst part is that I don't know which end we'll be on."

Gabriella stood and they embraced each other in a hug. "I don't either. This is the scariest thing I've ever gone through."

Regret was not the feeling. It was more of a feeling of fear. Fear of what was to come and what could possibly happen.


	9. Blase

**Happy Irish Fest day! Haha. In our school, the seniors have this English class they can take called "Irish Literature" and you learn all about Ireland and books and poetry and all that fun stuff. At the end of the semester, because it's only a half-year course, they put on a huge celebration called Irish Fest where they make Irish food, do some Irish step-dancing and everyone wears green, white, and orange. It's such a fun day. And yeah. That's what happened today, lol.**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews! I love reading them and hearing your reactions and thoughts on my story (even the ones that just say 'Good! Update!'... even though I would appreciate just a bit more...). I worked really hard on this, you know, doing the research and everything, and to hear (well, read, actually) your feedback is just incredible. Thank you all sooooo much! Please enjoy this one!!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** The birth of super-multiples causes a stir of media speculation. The Dilleys have an interview and photo shoot every so often, the McCaughey's are followed every year by MSNBC, and the Gosselins have their own television series, "Jon and Kate Plus Eight."

* * *

Chapter Nine: Blasé

Sharpay didn't expect to see what she did when she opened the door that afternoon.

"Holy shit, Gabriella! What are you, like, eight months pregnant!?!"

Gabriella had come over this afternoon in late October to help her dear friend Sharpay make her daughter's Halloween costumes. Sharpay had decided that she wanted her girls to have an original outfit for the night of scare and Gabriella, her sewing background coming back to haunt her, had offered to help. But when Sharpay opened the door to reveal her friend, she noticed her stomach had grown rapidly in the course of a few weeks. She looked much farther a long in her pregnancy than she actually was, and frankly, the blonde was shocked.

Gabriella laughed. "No, only about fifteen and a half weeks."

"Jesus," She remarked, ushering the girl in and closing the door. "Does it hurt?"

"A little. Not too bad yet." The brunette answered. "So what do you have in mind?"

"Wait, wait," Sharpay followed her into the grand living room. "I want to talk about you."

She shot her friend a look. "We have plenty of time to talk about me. I'll be here all day."

"I just wanna know about your progress." Sharpay shrugged, bringing out bags of materials. "Nothing's wrong yet, is it?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Nope. It's weird, actually. Not that I'm complaining, or anything, but Dr. Clark told us about all of these complications and so far nothing's gone wrong."

"That's great. I'm so happy for you guys."

"Mommy is Aunt Gabby here yet?" An energetic voice yelled from the top of the stairs.

"Why don't you come downstairs and find out?" Sharpay suggested with a beaming smile.

Just then, two little girls came bounding down the stairs full speed. "Yay! Costume time! Hi Aunt Gabby!"

If Gabriella could bend down and hug them, she would. But she hadn't been able to bend over for a few months now. "Hi girls! How are you two today?"

"Hi! Hi!"

"Tell her what you girls want to be for Halloween so we can start making your costumes," Their mother advised.

"Rock star!" Madeleine shouted and struck a pose. Only three and a half and already a diva like her mother.

"Wait, glamorous princess?" Lauren asked her sister.

"No, rock star!" Madeleine crossed her arms and gave her twin a look.

Lauren looked back at Gabriella. "Rock star."

Sharpay shook her head. "Can you tell who's in charge here?"

Gabriella laughed. "It's like a mini you and Ryan! Lauren, do you want to be a princess?"

The little girl nodded. Sharpay sighed. "I guess that's the end of dressing them up alike."

"Well, they're identical. They'll always look alike," Gabriella offered. "I'll make you a princess costume, Lauren."

After a few hours of talking about nonsense like movies, school, and how each of their husbands were doing currently, Gabriella and Sharpay fell quiet. The only sound in the room was that of the whirring sewing machine and cutting of scissors on the fabric the girls were using. Gabriella was slightly amazed and couldn't help but to think back to the time when she and Sharpay hated each other. It hadn't been too long ago- senior year of high school was the time. After graduation, Sharpay felt she needed to make amends and apologized a million times over. Gabriella forgave her, somewhat reluctantly, but the two became fast friends, as did she and Taylor. Gabriella grinned at her friend now, reminiscing about the times.

"What?" Sharpay glanced up and noticed her friend's smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about when we hated each other," Gabriella provided. "Actually, I never hated you. You hated me for some reason."

Sharpay ran a hand through Lauren's curls while her two daughters played with their Barbies. "I hated you because you stole Troy from me."

"You two dated for, what, like two weeks?" Gabriella teased.

"Yeah, well they were an important two weeks!" Sharpay laughed. "Ugh, I was such a bi-" She noticed her daughters were in the room and chose a different word. "I was so mean to you guys. If we never brought those times up again, I'd be fine with it."

"Well, I'll have to tell my seven wonders before we give it up completely," She grinned and then upon realizing what she said, she stopped and laid a hand upon her stomach. "Oh my god, seven. It still feels weird to say that I'm having seven."

"I'll bet."

"Sharpay, what's it like having multiples?"

"Well you know what they say. Double the one, double the fun!"

With a sigh, Gabriella repeated. "I'm having seven."

"Okay, well, seven times the fun!"

"More like seven times the work."

Sharpay chewed on her lip, only wanting to supply Gabriella with the positives. "Seven times the reward!"

"Ugh, seven times the diapers."

"Seven times the satisfaction of potty-training!"

Gabriella gasped. "Speaking of that, seven times the potty-training!"

"Seven times the hugs!"

"Seven times the baths."

"Seven times the kisses!"

"Seven times the feedings."

"Seven times the getting up at night."

Sharpay sighed in content. "Seven times the love, Gabriella. Seven times the love."

Finally, Gabriella smiled. "Okay, you win."

"Duh," Sharpay laughed. "I always win. Did you learn nothing in high school?"

Gabriella gave her a look. "And what exactly did you win? You didn't get the guy, the musical, or the scholarship to Julliard."

"Are you trying to make me depressed?"

With a laugh, Gabriella got back to her work. "Oh Sharpay, what would I do without you?"

Sharpay only grinned. "You'd be lost, that's for sure."

* * *

"I love moments like these. Have I mentioned that before?"

Troy glanced at his wife and raised an eyebrow. "Moments like what?"

Gabriella shrugged as they turned down another aisle. "I don't know. These. The ones where it's just you and me doing stuff together. Well, I know we're shopping right now and you hate shopping but... still. It's nice."

Troy smirked. "It is nice. Sorry, but practice has been taking up so much of my time lately. I get the rest of this week off though, so it's you and me from now on."

"Can't wait."

The couple was currently at the children's store Sharpay had recommended- Once Upon A Child. They were buying some basics- bottles, rattles, a few simple toys and some pacifiers. They still hadn't figured out how they could buy seven cribs, seven high chairs, strollers that would accommodate all seven children or any of the big items like that. But as of right now, they still had a lot of time to find a way. Right now, they were concerned about getting the simple things out of the way. It was late in the evening, that very same day Gabriella had spent with Sharpay, and the two were just enjoying each other's company after days without seeing each other due to Troy's basketball practice.

"So how was your day? Did you and Sharpay end up finishing those costumes?" Troy asked, picking up a package of bottle inserts and comparing them with the bottles themselves.

"Yeah we did actually. The girls are small so the costumes weren't that hard to make." She noticed her husband's fascination with the inserts. "What are you doing?"

He held up the package. "Do these look like condoms to you or is it just me?"

Gabriella giggled. "Yeah, they kind of do."

"Great. That's all I'm going to think of when making these bottles now."

Shaking her head, Gabriella pushed the cart into the next aisle. "How was your day? Practice wasn't too grueling was it? Well, I guess it wasn't. You're still standing and not passed out somewhere."

Troy laughed before replying. "No, I can honestly say it wasn't that bad today. Coach only made us run a few of the drills before giving us the 'I'm really proud of you guys but you still need to work harder' speech. I can't even tell you how many times I've gotten that before."

"Oh yes," Gabriella remembered. "You used to complain about your Dad giving you that speech."

"He still does, sadly enough." Troy sighed. "He still does."

"He shouldn't have to-" But then she stopped. "Okay, I'm getting winded. I need to sit down."

Troy guided her to the bench nearby and sat down with her, gripping her hand. "Okay, just take it slow. Breathe."

From time to time, Gabriella would get spells where she wasn't able to breathe for a few seconds after moving too forcefully or her heart would palpitate from all the sudden movement. Dr. Clark told her it was perfectly normal, especially for her condition with seven fetuses, but as soon as it became serious she would have to be put on bed rest. Gabriella could not even dream about being put on bed rest. Being out of commission the whole pregnancy? Not fun. But each day, the windedness and palpitations would get more and more frequent. And even though bed rest was inevitable, she didn't want it to happen any sooner than it had to.

"We have to tell Dr. Clark about how numerous these have been." Troy advised. "Next visit."

"I don't wanna go on bed rest!" She complained. "How am I going to get anything done?"

"Hey, that's what I'm for!" He assured her, placing a kiss on her cheek. "Plus, you're going to be put on bed rest sooner or later."

"I don't want it to be sooner." Gabriella sighed.

At that moment, an employee from the store approached the couple. "Are you in labor? Do you need me to call 911?"

Troy chuckled. "No, she's fine. Just got a little winded, that's all."

"You look like you're ready to pop," The girl exclaimed. "Your due date must be close, though, right?"

Gabriella saw the humor of the situation. "Nope. Not very close at all, actually. It's in about five months."

She and Troy then pushed their cart to a cash register nearby, leaving the dumbfounded employee behind. Troy only laughed, shaking his head. "I'm gonna miss you freaking people out like that when this is all over."

"Me too," Gabriella admitted. "It's actually kind of fun."

After getting their items bagged and paid for, Troy and Gabriella left the store hand in hand and walked to their car to head home. It was then that he acquired a mischievous look and Gabriella shot him a questioning one. He only shook his head, signaling he wasn't going to tell anytime soon, which left Gabriella in wonder. They arrived home and Gabriella resorted to putting all of the purchased baby items in the designated nursery. When she returned to the kitchen, where Troy was standing at the stove, she questioned him.

"Um, what's up?"

"I'm making you dinner. Surprise!"

"Oh, you know how I love your surprises." Gabriella said unsurely.

Troy glanced at her. "You hate my surprises."

"Exactly." She'd never tell him she actually liked his surprises. It would only encourage him. "You can't cook, Troy."

"Well that's because I've never actually tried," He protested, tossing some salt into a pan. "It can't be that hard. You just follow the recipe."

"I don't know..."

"Babe, come on," Troy tried to convince her. "You do everything for me and I just want to do something for you. You deserve it. Besides, do you have any other dinner plans for tonight?"

"Well, no."

"Thank you. Linguini medley it is!"

About a half hour later, Troy served the meal to his awaiting wife and grinned. "Eat up."

She nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, about that... you take a bite first."

"Why?"

"So if you die, I'll know not to eat it."

"Gab, I followed the recipe! It'll be fine!"

"Okay, okay!" She threw up her hands in defense. "I'll eat it, chill!"

She twirled some pasta on her fork and placed it in her mouth. It took all she could do not to gag, but she forced it down and managed to smile afterwards. Gabriella silently apologized to the seven babies- at least they knew ahead of time that their father was not a very good cook. Troy was awaiting her response, and although she didn't want to hurt his feelings, she didn't want to lie to him either. There was something about him that made him so very hard to lie to. In fact, she'd never lied to him in her entire life. And he hadn't either. Sighing, she gulped down half of her glass of water.

"So? What do you think?"

"I think I should make dinner from now on."

Troy's face fell. "It was that bad?"

"It wasn't that bad..." She started, but then broke down. "Okay, okay. I can't lie to you Troy. I think it could've been better if it was hot."

"Hot? What do you mean?"

"The pasta, Troy. It's cold."

"It's cold?" He yelped. "What do mean it's cold? I had it on the stove for like an hour!"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know, but it tastes ice- oh, my god, Troy!"

"What?"

She had to keep from laughing this time. "You never turned the stove on! Don't you think that could help?"

Troy laughed this time as well. "Well, yeah. Possibly."

"When I'm out of commission," Gabriella warned. "Make sure you get Zeke to help you with our meals."


	10. Tranquil

**Hello! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I enjoyed reading them all, really. Troy and Gabriella's adventure is just beginning and I can't wait for you to see what's in store for them. Reading your reactions is very entertaining, hahaha. I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much!! **

**Random Multiple Fact:** Bed rest is always prescribed for the pregnant mother. It is very important that with her extremely large stomach she does not walk or stay on her feet too often. This in turn causes her to lose a lot of muscle mass and when the babies are born she will have a very hard time moving around.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Tranquil

"So nothing's out of the ordinary?" Dr. Clark asked Gabriella, glancing over his clipboard. "Nothing's wrong?"

Gabriella shook her head gleefully. "Nope! Perfectly fine! I may even be getting over the horrible morning sickness."

Troy gave her a look, but she didn't return it. He wanted to know why she wouldn't tell the doctor about her windedness and palpitations and knew that if she didn't say something he would have to. Her health was on the line and he didn't want to deal with the worry that she could be permanently injuring herself. Gabriella folded her hands in her lap as Dr. Clark began to set up the ultrasound machine and tilted the chair back so she was lying down. Her extreme fear of doctors prevented her from telling what was wrong at times- especially when she knew it was important. Troy sighed and decided to tell Dr. Clark. Gabriella wouldn't say anything, and their doctor needed to know.

"Dr. Clark, the shortness of breath and heart palpitations are worse than ever." Troy confessed and Gabriella sighed.

"Gabriella, why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because I don't want to go on bed rest yet." She admitted. "It's just... it's too early and I'm still needed. At school and at home..."

"Babe I told you, I'll take care of it." Troy promised her, kissing the hand he was holding. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll do it all."

"I'm going to put you on bed rest at home for the next several weeks." Dr. Clark advised. "Once you get closer and closer to the sixth month mark we'll move you into the hospital."

She nodded slowly. "I can do it."

"I understand it's not fun and you feel helpless, but this is an important thing to do for your babies to have the best chance at survival."

"I know."

"Don't be too sad though," Dr. Clark smiled, smoothing the cool gel across the skin of her stomach. "We're going to learn the genders of your children today."

Gabriella and Troy's faces lit up. "Today? That's so exciting!"

Dr. Clark nodded. "It is a very exciting thing. Let me find them all and we'll let you know."

He moved the handle rhythmically across her stomach and then grinned. "Do you hear that? It's still too early to feel the movements, but you can hear them through ultrasound."

Troy and Gabriella were quiet. "Yeah... that thumping noise. What is that?"

"Seven heartbeats."

"Oh my god," Gabriella cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "That's so beautiful."

Troy was speechless. He stared at the screen, watching as seven spots were blinking rapidly. "Wow..."

"Okay, let's see what we have here," Dr. Clark said, searching around. "It's important to know the sex of all the babies for the delivery. Once you've picked out names, I'll need you to list them in alphabetical order. First baby born is the first name and so on."

"I didn't know that's how it worked." Gabriella remarked.

Dr. Clark nodded. "It's much easier to identify the babies that way. Otherwise it would be 'Baby C needs more oxygen' and we'd never know which baby they were talking about."

"Makes sense." Troy commented. "We've been looking at names but we need to know how many to pick out first."

"Well I can tell you now." Dr. Clark concluded. "Four girls and three boys. Congratulations."

"Oh, this totally beats out the bad news of bed rest!" Gabriella was crying at this point. "I'm so happy."

"Me too," Troy agreed, kissing her hand again. "Oh god, I can't wait."

"I'll see you both next week," The doctor said farewell after their visit was over. "And congratulations again. Good luck on bed rest, Gabriella."

"Thanks," Gabriella laughed. "I'll try and make it through."

On the drive home, Gabriella asked her husband, "Do you think we should tell everyone the genders or keep it a secret?"

"Wouldn't it be fun to keep it a secret?" Troy grinned. "I like secrets."

Giggling, she glanced out the window. "We're not very good at keeping them, though."

"No, we never have been," Troy agreed. "Do you still want to go to the school?"

"Yeah, I have to pick up my things and make sure the sub will be there for the next... six months." She sighed. "I love my job. I can't even believe I have to leave it for so long."

"Gab, what are we going to do when the babies come?" Troy realized. "One or both of us have to be home at all times..."

"God, you're right." Her heart sank. "I never thought of that."

"We'll think about it later," Troy waved it off, pulling into the parking lot of the school. "Don't worry about it now."

Gabriella hopped out of the car and glanced back at Troy. "You wanna come?"

Troy shrugged. "Why not? I haven't stepped foot inside a high school in almost ten years."

They walked inside the school and stopped at the front desk in the main office, where Gabriella greeted a bunch of people before introducing them to Troy. They then made their way to the biology room in the science wing to pick up Gabriella's personal belongings and other things she'd need over her sabbatical. She knocked on the door before entering and greeting her substitute congenially. A few of her students called out to her and she couldn't help but laugh at their outgoing nature.

"Yo, Mrs. B!" A boy called out. "Where've you been?"

She laughed. "I hate to break it to you guys, but I've been put on bed rest. I probably won't be making it back for the rest of the year."

"Oh, but Mrs. Bolton!" A girl whined. "You can't leave us!"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't have a choice, you guys. I promise I'll keep you updated on everything. Besides, Mr. Lincoln here is an excellent teacher."

"Thank you."

"Wait a minute, Troy Bolton?" Another boy pointed out. "Dude, you're like a legend."

Troy just smiled. "Thanks, man."

"I forgot you were married to him, Mrs. B," That same boy grinned. "Can I have your autograph?"

"Why not?"

While Troy signed the sheet of paper the boy provided, Gabriella continued to gather the things she needed from her classroom. Afterwards, the couple bid her class farewell and hopped into the car once again. The drive home was filled with idle chatter about Gabriella's job, and Troy sensed how important it was to her. He knew how much she wanted to be a mother, but he also knew that she loved her students just as much. It would be a difficult decision to make but he shook his head, trying not to think about it just yet. Troy and Gabriella arrived home and Gabriella painfully acknowledged the beginning of her bed rest. Troy went out of his way to make sure she was comfortable on the couch, and she only giggled while watching her husband run around the house.

"Do you need anything? A snack? Drink? More pillows? Anything?"

"Nah," She shook her head, but patted the spot next to her on the couch. "Just some company would be nice."

"Well duh," He responded, collapsing beside her. "Like I was going to go anywhere else."

Giving her a slow but tantalizing kiss, they settled into each other's arms, enjoying the time they had to spend alone together. "So... four little girls and three little boys. Think we can handle it?"

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Troy laughed. "Honestly Gab, I can't wait."

"That means four sons-in-law..." Gabriella sang. Troy's eyes widened.

"Didn't think of that. They're not dating until they're thirty."

She laughed out loud. "Thanksgiving is in a week or so. You really don't want to tell anyone the gender?"

"What's the fun in that?" Troy asked. "I think we should keep 'em guessing."

* * *

Troy and Gabriella had planned on traveling to Albuquerque to be with their parents on Thanksgiving, but since she had been put on bed rest the travel plans had been switched. Jack, Lucille, and Maria had flown up to be with them instead and were grilling Gabriella on the welfare of their grandchildren and her own health as well. Gabriella insisted that she was fine and the babies were doing just as well, but they wanted to know so much more than she actually knew. They were settled around the dining room table in Troy and Gabriella's house, hours later, and still talking about the same thing.

"So do you know the genders yet?" Jack asked casually, trying to lighten the mood while eating a piece of turkey. Troy and Gabriella froze and made eye contact, each silently telling the other to do something.

"Um... no, not yet." Gabriella answered, sure they could see right through her. "But it's okay. We're not that anxious."

"Besides, we're probably not going to tell anyone when we find out anyway," Troy said and Gabriella smirked as if to say, 'Way to be subtle.' "I mean, can you imagine? There wouldn't be any surprise on delivery day."

"Well when you find out, you better tell us," Lucille commented, eating a forkful of string beans. "I don't want to be left out."

"We will, Mom," Troy sighed, glancing at Gabriella. "We will."

"You know," Maria concluded a beat later. "I think I should move here for a little while."

"What?" Gabriella gasped. "Mom, no."

"Why not?" She honestly couldn't see anything wrong with the plan. "You can't do any strenuous physical activity and Troy'll be getting back to practice in a few weeks. You'll need someone around to help take care of you and your house."

"But that's what I have friends for." Gabriella admitted and then bit her lip, wishing she hadn't said it.

Maria looked heartbroken. "Friends? And you think they're more important or more helpful than your mother?"

"No, that's not what I meant," She shook her head. "I just mean you shouldn't waste your time and take off of work for me. I'm fine here by myself, really."

Her mother sighed. "Are you sure? I think I could be a big help."

"No Mom, you'd just get under my skin."

Maria opened her mouth to reply sternly, but Troy cut her off. "Don't take it personally, Maria. It's the hormones."

"You blame everything on the freaking hormones, Troy!" Gabriella snapped and he rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault, okay? I'm having a hormonal overload and I don't need the comments from _everybody_ reminding me why I'm like this! I get it! I think I've got it by now!"

"Okay, okay," Troy comforted her. "Okay, I know. Babe, calm down. I'm sorry."

She sighed. "No, I'm sorry I freaked out."

Jack smirked. "Your Mom was just as bad with you, Troy. I know what you're going through."

"Jack, my hormones were pretty intact, weren't they?" Lucille asked in annoyance.

"Yes dear." Jack answered loyally, and when his wife wasn't looking, shook his head at his son who had to hold back a laugh.

After dinner and after the dishes were cleaned and put away, the five retired to the living room, where Jack turned on the annual football game. He was always a fan of the sport and although he didn't love it as much as basketball, he made it a tradition that he and his son watch at least one or two games per Thanksgiving. Maria and Lucille were discussing their respective jobs back in Albuquerque, and Troy was sprawled out on the couch with Gabriella laying her back against his stomach between his legs. He was rubbing soothing circles on her protruding stomach, which was forever in so much pain.

"Oh, he's going for it, he's going for it!!" Jack shouted excitedly, watching as the linebacker ran towards the end zone. "And he's got it! Touchdown!"

"Dad, I told you Dawson was a good pick!" Troy commented, his eyes also glued to the screen. "You thought it was a mistake but look at that! Third touchdown tonight!"

Jack threw up his hands in defense, shaking his head. "I had my doubts. Proved me wrong, that's for sure."

"I'm exhausted." Gabriella said quietly, emitting a yawn. "I feel like I haven't slept in days."

"Sitting down all the time actually makes you even more tired than when you're active," Lucille pointed out. "That's so ironic, isn't it?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. I hate to break this bond, but I need to sleep."

The parents all bid her a goodnight as Troy helped her sit up and then helped her up the stairs. Jack turned his attention back to the game, but Maria and Lucille were gazing lovingly up the stairs. "He loves her so much."

Maria grinned. "She loves him too."

"Do you think they'll be able to do this?" Lucille asked quietly. "Seven babies... that's going to be horrendously difficult. I thought one baby was hard!"

"They're Troy and Gabriella," Maria smiled. "They can do anything."


	11. Hormonal

**I love this chapter, lol. Her hormones are so out of whack, it's hysterical. This chapter entails what a normal husband would do when his wife is going crazy because out pregnancy hormones... but unfortunately for Troy, Gabriella's are multiplied by 10283102983. Hahahah. Thank you a million times over for all your wonderful reviews! I love to hear from you! PM's are also always welcomed! **

**This random fact has got to be the one that astounded me the most. It's just amazing how large the stomach becomes. If you want to see pictures, search "Kate Gosselin Pregnant" on Google Images. That's pretty much what it looks like, although she had sextuplets. Picture Gabriella's stomach just a tad bit bigger. :)  
**

**Random Multiple Fact:** The average weight gain during an extreme multiple pregnancy is sixty-five pounds. And how big is the stomach? From the middle of the back to the belly-button, the average stomach is around fifty-four inches around. Four and a half feet.

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Hormonal

"Why don't you do anything I ask you to?!?"

"I'm trying! I've been trying all day!"

"No you're not," Gabriella growled in true annoyance. "If you were trying, you would've succeeded and things would have gotten done."

Troy sighed. "I can't do more than one thing at once, Gabriella."

"And why not?" She asked angrily. "I do it all the time! Cooking, cleaning and straightening up are all done at the same time when I do things!"

Closing his eyes, Troy tried to let it go. He knew it was the hormonal rush she was feeling. The angry side of her was his least favorite. "What would you like me to do first? The vacuuming, the laundry, the dishes, or make some lunch?"

"The dishes!" She shouted as though it were obvious. "I can't stand the fact that the breakfast dishes are still not clean and it's almost twelve-thirty."

Troy nodded and headed to the kitchen to wash the pans and silverware from their breakfast. He had been running himself ragged the past few weeks, trying to cope with Gabriella's hormonal outrage. Dr. Clark had told him that she was in her peak and that it would only get worse, not better, as the strain to get her babies to a safe gestational age took over. Luckily, he hadn't had as many basketball practices as usual, and could dedicate his time and effort to his wife. And boy was she taking advantage of it. Not that she could help it, of course.

Only half way through the dishes, she asked him when the laundry was going to get done. He groaned and answered, "When I finish the dishes!"

"No! Do it now! Laundry is still piled up from last week!"

"But you told me to-"

"Do the laundry _now_!" Gabriella yelled in frustration. "I hate it when the house is a pigsty!"

Hurrying to the laundry room, Troy loaded clothes upon clothes into the washing machine. During his third load, as he was beginning to fold the first, put the second into a laundry basket, and move the soaking wet third load into the dryer, Gabriella called for him again. He was getting frustrated at this point, but knew from experience not to let it show, as it only upset her more. He returned to the living room, wiping his hands on his jeans, and came upon her lounging figure, a frown upon her face.

"What now, dear?" He tried to sound pleasant, but hoped she wouldn't sense the sarcasm in his voice.

"The dust bunnies on this floor could eat me," She sighed. "A vacuum would be nice."

Troy glanced at the floor. "The carpet really isn't that bad."

"Just do it."

"But you said-"

"Just do it!"

He sighed in frustration again and plugged in the vacuum, beginning to cross the floor with it and chuckling despite the situation when he heard it suck up the particles. He hadn't even seen the mess, but Gabriella could find it immediately. Her senses were heightened with the pregnancy, that's for sure. She could see and hear much clearer, and her sense of smell was amazing. Troy was fascinated by the way the pregnancy was changing her body, not frightened by it like some fathers-to-be were. This time, he actually finished his task before she came up with a new one.

"I'm starving." Gabriella stated, playing with the cap on her pen. "Would you mind making me some macaroni and cheese? That sounds so good right now."

"Sure." He obliged and headed back into the kitchen. While making the meal for his wife, he was also able to finish washing the dishes and wiping down the counters and table. He put away the dry plates and silverware and poured the macaroni into a bowl. Troy brought it out to her and set it on the coffee table in front of her. "Here you go. Enjoy. I have to finish the laundry."

But Gabriella took one look at the macaroni and burst into tears. "That's..."

Troy's eyes widened, alarmed. "What's wrong? What did I do?"

"Nothing," She cried. "It's just... that's not what I wanted!"

He looked at her, utterly bewildered. "But you... that's what you asked for!"

"I know. But I meant grilled cheese. I really _really_ want grilled cheese. I didn't mean-"

"Okay, okay," He took the macaroni and cheese away and went back to the kitchen. "It's not a big deal. I'll make you the sandwich."

She wiped at her eyes and thanked him and Troy returned to the kitchen once again. After finishing making the sandwich, he was afraid of her reaction. She only smiled and took a bite. But when she swallowed she burst into another fit of tears. Troy was growing increasingly confused. "What? Do you not want grilled cheese now?"

"No, I do," She sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"For what? What's wrong, babe?"

Gabriella covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "I've been yelling at you all day... you're tired, I can tell... I'm so sorry, Troy!"

"No, no," Troy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. As much as he hated when she was angry, he hated it even more when she was crying. "It's okay. Don't worry about me, alright? You're just worried... and we'll get through this, okay?"

She nodded, but continued crying. "God Troy, I'm a mess! I can't do anything for myself anymore and I'm so helpless! And then you're doing everything I ask you to and I still yell at you! I'm sorry; I won't do it again."

He knew she would, and she knew she would too, but he felt it was best that he agreed with her in this situation. "You're not helpless. You can't do anything even if you wanted to. You know that. You're doing what's best for the babies and when they come, everything will go back to normal. I know you hate just lying around on the couch all day, but it really is good for you."

"My mom always used to tell me that if I sat around the house all day inactive it would affect my health, but not in a good way," Gabriella said quietly. "Now it's the opposite. I can't move or everything is ruined!"

"I know, I know," Troy soothed. "But it's not the least bit fun? I mean you do get to catch up on all your favorite shows!"

She laughed and Troy grinned, knowing he'd cheered her out of her hormonal spell once again. "That's true. I haven't missed a _House_ episode yet!"

"There you go," Troy kissed her lips quickly before wiping the remnants of her tears. "Now you eat your sandwich. I've got laundry to finish."

"Yes sir." She saluted him and he laughed, leaving the room.

Keeping up with Gabriella's raging emotional changes was exhausting...

* * *

During the nineteenth week in gestational age, Gabriella's stomach was so large it was about the size of a singleton pregnancy at full term. She was only about five months along, still had a long way to go if she wanted all seven of the children to survive. She'd been catching up on research on multiples, reading the complete stories of the Dilley family, the McCaughey family, and the Gosselin family. She'd even started taping the show _Jon and Kate Plus Eight_ to see what it was like parenting multiples. The children were adorable and she enjoyed the banter between the parents. Gabriella felt mildly prepared, but still knew she had a lot to learn.

Troy had been coping with Gabriella's hormonal overloads as well as he could. He'd learned from experience not to argue with her and to do exactly what she said. If he didn't, she'd cry, get even angrier, or completely shut him out. She would get over her fits like the flip of a switch, which still amazed him, and would still expect him to be the normal Troy he was before she'd gone through the rage. And he would certainly try his best to be.

But the new feeling she was getting was severe loneliness. Whenever she was left at home, whether it was for a few hours or only a couple of minutes, she would just develop a sense of longing, and when Troy returned home, she'd cling to him as if he'd been gone for years. Whenever Sharpay or Taylor would visit, she'd beg them not to leave. It was a strange feeling that also changed rapidly and tended to have an apprehensive effect on others around her. She'd be lonely one moment, but then the next she'd want them to leave, wanting to be alone, wanting to have privacy.

And that was why Troy was afraid to leave her that early December morning.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Troy asked a fourth time, earning an eye roll from his wife.

Troy and Chad had an away game in Utah and would be away for three or four days. Taylor was coming to live with Gabriella for the short time to look after her and also to keep their home in order, since she was still and would be out of commission. Troy was worried sick about leaving his wife in such an emotionally unstable state and afraid that something would happen to her or the children while he was gone. She was very reassuring and as much as she didn't want him to leave, tried desperately to push him out the door.

"Troy, for the millionth time, I'm going to be okay." She assured him. "It's not that long of a time. You're not going to miss anything."

"But if something happens..." He thought, trailing off. "I'll never forgive myself for not being here."

"Taylor will be here and I promise we'll contact you if something does happen." Gabriella promised. "But baby seriously. We just had an appointment yesterday. Dr. Clark said everything looked fine. I'm going to be okay."

"Okay, okay..." Troy said, trying to think of every possibility. "What if... What if Taylor can't... What if when you..."

"Troy, just leave already!" Taylor threw up her hands. "My God, at this point, you'll miss the freaking plane!"

Troy shrugged, giving up as he leaned down and gave Gabriella a meaningful kiss to hold her over until he next saw her. "Goodbye. I'll call you when we land."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too." Troy replied, and then placed a hand on her stomach. "And I love all of you too."

Gabriella smiled, tears dotting her eyes as he kissed her once more and he and Chad left the house. "I swear, he doesn't think you can take care of me."

"I'm not totally sure that I can," Taylor admitted. "But I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask. And I want to apologize in advance for the hormones. They have a mind of their own."

Taylor laughed. "Of course they do. So you said you went to the doctor's yesterday? How is everything?"

"Great," She beamed. "They're all doing well developmentally and get this- they're even interacting with each other."

"They are? That's adorable."

"Yeah! Dr. Clark says they're playing, kicking, holding hands... even soothing each other!"

"That's so sweet," Taylor cooed. "Hopefully that means they'll get along."

"I hope so," Gabriella agreed. "I don't particularly want to be breaking up fights twenty-four/seven."

"No, that wouldn't be enjoyable," Taylor agreed. "So, what do you want me to make for dinner?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I don't know. This whole thing is kind of awkward."

"Tell me about it," Taylor laughed. "We've had sleepovers before back during high school but this is just weird."

"Well, there's some salad in the refrigerator. I'm not that hungry at the moment and so I could settle for that."

"Okay." Taylor got up to retrieve the meal. "You're not going to freak out on me and tell me this isn't what you wanted, are you?"

Gabriella cracked a grin. "Troy told you about that, huh?"

"You made him kind of nervous." She chuckled. "It's okay. I understand the hormone situation."

"They're out of control." Gabriella sighed. "Can't help it, though."

"I know."

After a few moments in silence as the girls ate their meals, Taylor spoke. "Have you settled on names yet?"

"Yes." She admitted quietly.

"What?!? And you're not telling anyone?"

"Nope," Gabriella smiled devilishly. "It makes delivery day more fun."


	12. Distress

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I'm enjoying posting this just so I can read what you have to say! Thank you all who reviewed and who will review in the future!! Now in this one, Gabriella comes in contact with her first serious complication and Troy... well, he's faced with a difficult decision. I based this part off of what happened to Becki Dilley, who also had this same problem during her 27th gestational week. Do enjoy!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Many hormone shots are given to the mother while she is stationed on bed rest in the hospital, one of these being to prevent early labor. Unfortunately, sometimes they fail...

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Distress

A pulse. A jolt. A beat.

Gabriella awoke with a start in the middle of the night. Well, maybe it was more like really early morning, but either way she knew she shouldn't be awake at that hour. Glancing at the glowing red numbers on her bedside table, she noted it was only three-thirty in the morning. She was alone, as Troy would not return for another two days and Taylor was occupying the guest bedroom down the hall. Running a hand through her hair, she felt the sensation again, and struggled to sit up in bed. It wasn't easy with the obstructive stomach she'd acquired, but as she managed to prop herself up against the headboard, she had an alarming feeling.

Something wasn't right.

She knew she wasn't supposed to get up and walk. At least, not too far anyway. The guest bedroom was at the other end of the hallway and as Gabriella contemplated it, she knew it would be a risk. Instead, she decided to wait out the process. She laid her head back against the headboard of the bed and closed her eyes. She'd nearly fallen asleep before feeling the impression again. It was three forty-five now, and Gabriella knew something was wrong. She forced herself to get up and walk the distance to her sleeping best friend, knowing if she didn't do something, the problem could only get worse. Opening the door, she called out to her.

"Taylor... Taylor!"

Taylor was a light sleeper, and awoke in an instant. "Gabriella? Are you okay?"

"I don't know," The brunette answered unsurely. "I think something's wrong."

In a second Taylor was at her side and ushering her to sit down, the lights in the room on immediately. "What do you mean something's wrong? Something's wrong with you or the babies?"

"The babies," Gabriella whispered, gripping her stomach. "I think I'm in labor."

"Oh no! That can't be good, that can't be good!" Taylor shrieked. "It's too early!"

"You think?" Gabriella shouted back sarcastically. "What do I do?"

"We have to call the doctor. You sit here and I'll call him." A moment later Taylor had retrieved her best friend's cell phone. "Which speed dial did you say? Six? Seven?"

"Six," Gabriella said anxiously. "Call him fast."

It rang three times before the doctor's sleepy voice answered. Taylor took the call as if she were conducting serious business. "Good evening Dr. Clark, this is Taylor McKessie, best friend of Gabriella Montez. She's been having contractions and... yes. About fifteen minutes... Of course... no, not yet... Okay, right away? Okay thank you. Thank you, Dr. Clark." Upon hanging up she turned to Gabriella. "That is his name, right?"

"Yes, yes," She waved her hand. "What did he say?"

"This is an extremely dangerous situation and we need to rush you to the emergency room immediately," Taylor explained. "Why don't you get some clothes on and we'll head over?"

"No no," She shook her head adamantly. "I can't do it. Not without Troy."

"I'll call him, honey. But you need to go. This is really important."

"Call him."

"I'll call him!" After her friend had left, Taylor called as promised, but Troy didn't answer. She left a concise message and she and Gabriella fled for the hospital.

It was a deathly ghostly white in the waiting room at the maternity ward of hospital, and Gabriella was nearly squeezing the life out of Taylor's hand. They had been waiting for Dr. Clark for a half hour, and during which Gabriella had sobbed through her entire contraction. She knew this was the end. It was much too early for her babies to survive and when they were born she and Troy would be back at square one again. No children and broken hearts. How could they take this disappointment again? How would they cope?

"Gabriella, no need to panic, dear," Dr. Clark assured her when he arrived helping her into a standing position. "We're going to do everything we can, I promise you. Come into the room with me here and we'll do an examination."

She could say nothing, only nod and follow as he brought her into the room. Taylor hung back a moment to call Troy. She knew it was still early and there wasn't a chance of him answering, but when he didn't she was still upset. Leaving another message, she closed her cell phone, swore furiously and entered the room to be with her friend. She took the seat beside her hysterical best friend and tried to listen intently as the doctor explained the situation.

"Because of the large number of fetuses, you're uterus has expanded rapidly throughout the last couple of months and has reached the maximum capacity," Dr. Clark explained. "Right now, at nineteen weeks, you've reached the same size inside and out of a woman with a normal single pregnancy."

"So what does this mean?" Gabriella asked, wiping her eyes. "What's going to happen?"

"Well basically your uterus is telling your body that it's time for birth because it grew as much as it needed to grow, so you began contracting. Your body is going into pre-term labor, which is common in many cases of multiple births."

"She'll be alright, though, right?" Taylor asked. "And the babies...?"

Dr. Clark frowned. "We're not quite sure. We're going to do everything we can to stop labor. But if it progresses... there's nothing we can do."

Gabriella broke down in tears again and Taylor hugged her sadly. The doctor sighed. "I'm extremely sorry. Right now, all we can do is think positive. I'm going to put you on an epidural so you won't feel the contractions and then we'll begin the procedures to end labor. As for now, though it may be slightly impossible, all we need you to do is get comfortable."

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and left the room. Gabriella continued to cry. Taylor sighed and stood. "Is there anything you need? Food, water... anything?"

She nodded. "Troy..."

"I know, I know," She began to leave the room. "I'll call him again."

It was nearing six in the morning, which meant seven or eight in Utah and Taylor prayed he'd answer. It took him two rings, but he finally picked up. "_Hello? Taylor?_"

"Troy listen, don't talk, just listen to me," She got down to business. "I don't want you to stress yourself out so I'm not going to tell you the details. I just need you to get a ticket for the earliest flight possible and come home. Immediately. We don't really have time to waste."

His heart was pounding and he swallowed hard. "_What are you talking about? What's going on?_"

"Troy, just get here, do you understand me?!" Taylor was becoming hysterical at this point. "Come home now!"

"_I get it! I'm coming! Just please tell me that Gabriella's alright_."

"She'll be fine. Just as long as you get here as soon as you can."

"_I'm coming, I'm coming. Jesus, Taylor, way to scare the hell out of me!_"

"I'm sorry, but there's no other way," Taylor apologized before hanging up and returning to her friend, who looked at her hopefully.

"Did you get through? Did you talk to him?"

Taylor nodded. "He's coming. He's coming."

* * *

Troy burst through the doors of the maternity ward frantically searching for Taylor and Gabriella. Taylor hadn't given him any information on his wife's condition, so he was expecting the worst. Glancing around, he saw no one familiar. But after a moment and just when he was going to ask the front desk, Taylor came out of one of the rooms down the hall, rubbing her eyes. Troy dashed towards her and wanted information immediately. It took Taylor a moment to figure out who the strange person that was shaking her nearly to death was, but she laughed slightly when she knew.

"Troy, stop shaking me!" She broke free from his hold on her shoulders. "You need to calm down before you go in and see her. She's freaking out enough for the both of you."

"What's going on?" He wanted to know. "What the hell is going on?"

"I will tell you, but you really do need to calm down, I'm serious. If you're freaking out too, then neither of you are going to be in good condition." She reasoned. "She went into pre-term labor-"

"Shit, I knew something like this was going to happen! I knew it!"

"Stop talking!" She yelled and he instantly was quiet. "Let me finish. She went into early labor and the doctor wants to do some kind of procedure to stop the contractions. That's all. The babies are fine. Gabriella is fine. But neither one of them will be fine if he can't do this. That's why you need to be calm so you can calm Gabriella and then the babies will be calm. Got it?"

Troy nodded. "Oh thank God she's alright. Thank God."

"She is for now, but do go in and see her. She's been begging for you all night."

He didn't have to be told twice. Within seconds he was in the room and she was in his arms, crying hysterically into his shoulder. "I'm so scared, Troy! Something'll go wrong and then we won't have our babies! We'll be back where we started!"

"Baby you can't think like that," Troy stroked her hair comfortingly. "Everything is going to be fine. You're going to be okay and the babies will too. You'll get them to a healthy age and then, only then, will you have them. They'll be healthy and we'll bring them home..."

Gabriella looked up at him hopefully. "You've thought a lot about this, haven't you?"

Troy nodded. "Absolutely. Because you're so ready to be a mother, I had to start thinking about being a father."

"You don't have to think about it, Troy." She assured him. "You'll be a great daddy."

A knock on the door interrupted Troy as he was about to respond, and Dr. Clark made his way into the room. "Ah, Troy. Welcome back. Did you win the game?"

"Yeah, we did actually."

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks, man."

"Now, I'm sure you've probably heard what's happening here," Dr. Clark began. "She's reached the maximum internal growth of a normal singleton pregnancy, so she's begun contracting and the fetuses have been showing signs of distress."

Troy's eyes widened, though he tried not to let Gabriella see him panic. The doctor made it seem much more dangerous than Taylor had. "So the procedure...?"

"Right. It's a form of surgery that we'll perform on her lower abdomen to inject a hormone steroid into the uterus to make the contractions stop. If we can stop the contractions, we can stop labor from progressing and she can continue on with the pregnancy."

Gabriella seemed satisfied with his answer, but as Dr. Clark continued to explain that he was going to get the rest of the doctors and the special medication to put Gabriella under, Troy could only think of one word: if. The doctor had said if. _If_ they could stop the contractions. The small pessimistic side of Troy Bolton wanted to know what would happen if they couldn't. As Dr. Clark began to leave, a nurse came in to inform Gabriella of the exact procedure and hook her up to the appropriate machines. Troy, however, kissed her head and promised he'd be right back, wanting to get a hold of the doctor.

"Dr. Clark!" He called after him, but found that the doctor was waiting for him.

"I knew you were going to ask what would happen if we couldn't stop the contractions, and I needed to inform you anyway," Dr. Clark smiled upon receiving a confused glance from Troy. "This procedure is extremely risky. It only works about one in forty of the times it's performed."

"One in forty?" Troy asked. Those odds were not very good...

"We need you to sign a contract-"

"A contract?" The disbelief in his voice was strong. He knew it was extremely serious now.

Dr. Clark nodded, his face serious. "By you signing this contract it states that if we can't stop labor from progressing, we can go into an emergency c-section to deliver the babies and save Gabriella's life."

"If you do that, Gabriella will be okay?"

"She will. She's the top priority."

Troy was afraid to ask. "But the babies... won't?"

Dr. Clark looked grave. "We can't risk losing Gabriella to save the children. They may not make it."

This sunk in and it felt as though a huge weight was dropped on his shoulders. He was silent and Dr. Clark added, "I'll give you time to think it over. But we do need you to sign it. After we put Gabriella under anesthetic would be a good time."

"What if I don't sign it? Not that I want to lose her, God, I'd never want that, but-"

"You're curious, I know." The doctor seemed to understand. "But Troy, not signing it is even worse. Then you're looking at losing Gabriella and the children. We won't be able to perform the cesarean if you don't let us."

Troy nodded and sighed in frustration. He walked back into the room where Gabriella was lying, near asleep. He gave her a smile and kissed her briefly before sitting beside her and taking her hand. "Did the nurse give you the meds yet?"

She nodded sleepily. "She just did. She said it'll be kicking in soon. But Troy..."

"What, babe?"

"Don't sign the papers." Gabriella begged him, tears filling her eyes. "Please don't."

"Gabriella," He shook his head. "I can't lose you too."

"I know, but... you can't choose to save me over the babies, can you? They're what's important here, not me."

"Don't talk like that. How can you be so selfless? Can you imagine if I picked the babies over you? I'd have to raise seven children by myself?" It was meant to be a joke, but it didn't come out right. "I couldn't live without you. You know that."

"I'll be okay! I'll get them to the right amount of time, I will!" Her watery eyes were pleading with his. "Please don't. Troy, please. I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead, and then the hand he was holding. "So, so much."

Gabriella was fading away, falling into a deep sleep. But before she was completely gone, she uttered, "Don't do it, okay? I love you. Just don't do it."

"I won't do it." He gulped, letting her hand rest upon the bed beside her. Standing, he felt two contradicting forces binding him to the decision. Should he sign the papers or not? Should he risk losing Gabriella to save the babies, or risk losing the babies to save Gabriella? This was one of the most difficult decisions he'd ever made. Though it was clear what he wanted to do, he told Gabriella he wouldn't. It was tearing him apart, and Dr. Clark approached him with a clipboard and a pen.

He never broke a promise to Gabriella. Though, this wasn't technically a promise.

"Okay, sign here and here and then you can sit in the waiting room while we carry out the procedure." He informed him, holding out the pen.

Oh well, there was a first for everything.

Troy picked up the pen and scribbled his signature on the dotted line...


	13. Success

**Hey there! Ha ha, I know you wanna bite my head off for the last chapter but Troy really did do it for the best. Save Gabriella or lose her and the babies? It was a tough decision but to him, there really was no other choice. So at least you know she's okay. But how about the seven little ones? Well you'll just have to read to find out. Although, would there be a story if they didn't survive? Ha ha ha. I'd have to change the name!**

**Oh and by the way, you get to learn about what happened to her father in this chapter too. You're welcome!  
**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Pergonal is the most common drug used in seeking fertility treatments. Pergonal was used in all three cases- Dilley, McCaughey, and Gosselin- and many other successful multiple births, but it was also used in many births where one or more of the infants did not survive.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Success

Gabriella didn't open her eyes at first when she woke up.

She heard the soft rustle of the pages of a magazine. She felt the tight hold on her right hand. She smelled a roast beef sandwich that was making her nauseous. Cracking one eye open and then the other slowly, she realized that if she was breathing and blinking, she was living. Which meant one of two things: the surgery had been a success or Troy had signed the papers and she was no longer pregnant and they wouldn't get to experience parenthood. The hand that was free tentatively reached down to her stomach, afraid to find a nearly flattened one. But when she found the bulging stomach she'd had for the past few months, she was relieved.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Turning her head to the side, she smiled upon meeting eyes with her husband. "Yeah. Hi."

"Hi," He flashed her a smile. "You okay?"

"Actually, no." Her nose scrunched in disgust. "The roast beef is making me sick."

Troy glared at Chad, who was wolfing down the sandwich. "Sorry, Gab. I'll finish it outside."

"Thanks." She smiled sweetly. "I'm fine, though. And... I'm so glad it worked."

"Me too," Troy kissed her cheek. _For more than one reason..._

"Dr. Clark said the babies are healthier now that they aren't in distress," Taylor looked up from her magazine to notify Gabriella. "We heard their heartbeats. It's just amazing."

"Oh good, they're okay?" She seemed emotional. "Thank God."

A knock on the door was heard, and Dr. Clark entered the room with a smile. "Ah, Gabriella. I'm so glad you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks."

"No pain? Dizziness? Nausea?"

She laughed. "I already took care of the nausea. But I'm okay."

"Great. We did stop both the contractions and labor and as soon as we did so all signs of fetal distress were gone." Dr. Clark explicated. "However, we do have some bad news."

All eyes were on Dr. Clark as he continued. "Because of this scare, we're going to have to put you on bed rest here at the hospital for the remainder of your pregnancy. It was always inevitable at one point, but because of this, it just has to be sooner. We need to monitor your progress and keep a close eye on all seven of the babies."

Gabriella gaped at the doctor, her eyes fearful and frantic. "I can't stay here! I hate hospitals! I don't... I can't... I want to go home!"

Tears began pouring from her eyes and Troy sat on the edge of the bed, embracing her and gently rocking her as she cried. Dr. Clark looked puzzled as to why she was so passionate about staying home. "I'm sorry Gabriella, but we don't have much of a choice here."

Taylor bit her lip, stepping in for Troy as he soothed his wife. "Gabriella has a very valid reason for hating doctors and hospitals."

Chad, who had since arrived, nodded in agreement. "She's been traumatized."

The brunette was still clinging to her husband and sobbing, "I want to go home! I want to go home!"

"I know you do, honey. I know you do." Troy kissed her hair. "I know you hate hospitals and don't want to be here but think about how happy you'll be when the babies are born and you can leave. You've got to try and be optimistic, Gabriella."

"I can't." She stopped crying and pulled away from him, as he wiped the remnants of her tears away. "I don't want to be optimistic. I want to be realistic."

"Gabriella," Dr. Clark sat on the other side of her. "What is it that made you so afraid of hospitals? Whatever it is, we'll try our hardest to fix it."

Gabriella shook her head. "You can try. Do whatever you want. But it'll never bring him back."

"Bring who back?" Dr. Clark coaxed the story out of the girl.

"My Dad." Her voice cracked as she said it and she looked down at her hands for a moment before continuing. "I was six years old and my Mom had picked me up from school one afternoon. I remember it being really strange because she worked during the day, so she never used to pick me up. I took the bus, and I liked taking the school bus. But that day, she picked me up and I could tell she'd been crying. Her nose was red and her eyes were watery and puffy. I asked her what was wrong and she told me we had to go to the hospital. I didn't know much about a hospital back then, but when my aunt gave birth to my cousin a year ago at that time, I remember visiting her at one. So I was actually a bit excited."

Taylor bit her lip, knowing this was hard for her friend and Chad gripped her hand as Gabriella went on. "My Mom held my hand and we went up to the fourth floor. I still remember every detail. He was lying in room three seventeen and I walked in gave him a hug. He asked how school was and I told him all about my day. I was chosen to be the class rabbit feeder for the week and I had made a drawing in art class for him. It was for Father's Day that was in a few weeks. Then I asked him why he was napping at the hospital and not at home. My mother broke down crying."

Gabriella wiped a tear before starting the hard part. "He told me that he had pancreatic cancer, and I, being six, had no idea what that meant. He calmly explained to me that he was very very sick and would have to stay in the hospital for a while until he got better. I never got over how calm he was. He was more concerned for me than his own sake. He didn't want to scare me. To me back then, I thought you could get over being sick by taking some cold medicine and eating chicken noodle soup. When I asked if he wanted me to make him some, he laughed and told me that wouldn't work this time."

"For weeks he went through treatment, but it never took and he just got sicker and sicker." Gabriella cried, trying to make her story understandable. "I remember we visited him every day after school and stayed until visiting hours were over. The doctors pulled me aside one day and hugged me. They promised they'd fix him. They promised he'd be okay. They _promised_. Only, he wasn't okay. He was never okay and he never would be okay. They broke their promise. They made a promise they couldn't keep... with a six-year-old!"

She had grown hysterical with the last statement and took a moment to calm down, feeling Troy's hand running up and down her back. "They promised me he would be okay and everyday I'd come back to that hospital and I would find that my father was looking weaker and weaker. A few days before Father's Day, I climbed onto his lap and gave him the last hug and kiss. He told me he loved me and I did the same. I didn't know we were saying goodbye, but the tears in his eyes told me so. He died the next day. I never got to show him the special drawing I made for him for Father's Day... and since then, Father's Day has been such a painful day for me and my Mom. All I knew as that little six-year-old girl was that my daddy had died in the hospital that was supposed to make people better and that the doctors who said they would make him better had lied to me."

Gabriella leaned into Troy for support and he gave it to her. Dr. Clark had tears in his eyes as well. "I'm so sorry, Gabriella. I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"How could you know?" She defended. "I don't talk about it often. I don't like bringing it up."

"And it must be so hard for you," Dr. Clark sympathized. "But your condition is not like that, Gabriella. We're keeping a close eye on you and your babies so we can take the quickest action at even the slightest problem. You're in good hands."

"That's what they told my Dad," She said quietly before clearing her throat. "I believe you, Dr. Clark."

Afterwards, Dr. Clark carefully took her I.V. out and helped her into a wheelchair to transport her to the room she'd be staying in until the birth of her babies. Gabriella was relieved not to be hooked up to any machines and was even more at ease when she asked if she would have to always be attached to machines and Dr. Clark said no. Taylor and Chad volunteered to return to the Bolton home to pack Gabriella's clothing and other items she may want with her for the next few months and she took them up on it. She would need many things to keep her occupied in the boring hospital room.

Upon arriving at the room where she would be staying, Gabriella found it to actually be quite nice. It was actually like a miniature hotel room. There was a bed jutting out from the far wall, with the bathroom close by that included a shower. Beside the bed was a wooden bedside table with three drawers, a lamp, and a clock radio. On the other side of the bed was a large glass window with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean that the hospital faced. There was also a couch and two cushioned chairs against the wall opposite the bed. Troy and Gabriella were impressed. They'd never seen a hospital room that looked so nice.

"Wow." Gabriella remarked. "Is this still the same hospital?"

Dr. Clark laughed. "We get that reaction a lot. But really, this entire hallway is reserved for the 'MOST' moms- MOST stands for 'Mothers of Super-Twins.' Although the largest birth number we've had was four. We've never had septuplets before, obviously."

"So only mothers pregnant with multiples get to stay in these rooms?" Troy asked. "That's cool."

"Well, the mothers who've been put on bed rest. It's mostly for those who are giving birth to three or more. Though, if we have a high-risk twin pregnancy, the mother on bed-rest does get one of these rooms." Dr. Clark elucidated. "Now, I do hope you'll be most comfortable. I still work at the clinic from about nine to four, so I'll visit you every morning before nine and afternoons after four, okay? Of course you can always reach me at the office and I'll leave if you need me, of course. The nurses here are very experienced and will take great care of you."

"Okay," Gabriella nodded. "Sounds good to me, I guess."

"I do have to go, since I was expected in the office about three hours ago, but I just wanted to make sure you're comfortable here."

"I'm fine. Thank you so much, Dr. Clark. You've been so great to us."

Hours after Dr. Clark had left and Taylor and Chad had returned with Gabriella's belongings, it was near dinner time and Troy was sitting in a chair he'd pulled up to Gabriella's bedside. They had been making conversation all day and catching up on things, but Gabriella was exhausted and Troy could tell. Her eyes kept closing but she was forcing herself to keep them open. He kissed her forehead and moved to close the blinds on the darkness that was taking over California. She stirred at his sudden movement and glanced at him, a fearful look upon her face.

"You're going to stay with me tonight, aren't you?" She pleaded. "Please tell me you're going to stay."

Troy smiled. "I wouldn't go anywhere else."

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Troy visited his wife every day. How could he not, with her nearly begging him to come as soon as he could. Truth was, he missed her at home. He missed having her to wake up to in the morning, he missed hearing her sing in the shower, he missed simply cuddling with her on the couch while they watched television. On days he didn't have a press conference, practice, or a game, he spent the entire day at the hospital, filling Gabriella in on everything that was going on in the outside world that she was missing out on.

Most days he stayed overnight in the hospital with her. On days he couldn't, however, because of a work conflict, he came prepared, bringing her flowers or sneaking her food. He had practically moved in with her, and no one seemed to mind. Gabriella loved every second of visiting with her husband. The nurses had come to be quite friendly with Troy and he even brought them gifts once in a while. He was just going out of his mind without his wife home with him, and had to do everything in his power to conquer his urges.

The most important thing he had to do was keep Gabriella in good spirits. When news came to her that Taylor and Chad had gotten engaged and that Sharpay was pregnant again, she was extremely ecstatic for both sets of friends, but also completely down because she hadn't been there when everyone else found out. They all explained that she'd be out of the hospital by the time these events became significant, although that didn't do much to raise her spirits. Better yet, it was Christmas time, and she knew she'd be spending it in a stuffy hospital instead of at home with her family.

Except Troy had a solution. He always did in situations like these.

He snuck into her room early on December twenty-fourth with three small boxes he placed on the couch. Moments later, he dragged in a live Christmas tree which he set up in the corner of the room. Inside the boxes were the ornaments he and Gabriella owned and he placed those on the tree as well. Troy strung the colorful lights on the tree and placed the angel at the top of the tree as needed. Quickly hiding the boxes, he inhaled deeply and grinned when he noticed the entire room smelt of pine. Just the way Gabriella liked her house to smell come Christmas time. She stirred in bed and he drew the ceiling curtain around the portion of the room with the tree.

"Morning Troy," She greeted him with a yawn. "How early did you get here?"

"I don't know, six-ish." He answered. "I've got a surprise for you."

"Really?" Gabriella pressed the button on her remote control that raised the bed so she could see. "Like what? What is it?"

"Close your eyes," Troy commanded and when she did, he ripped the curtain back. Silently cursing, he noticed he'd forgotten the gifts and quickly placed those under the tree as well. "Okay, ready? Open your eyes."

Gabriella gasped in shock. "Oh my god, you did this for me?"

"I knew you upset you were about not being able to spend Christmas at home so... I brought Christmas to you."

"I love it," She inhaled just as he did before. "Oh, and it smells wonderful in here. Thank you so much!"

She reached out for him and when he came to her she kissed him on the lips. They spent the rest of the day chatting about how excited they were to be parents, what the other got them for Christmas, and how the media is already buzzing about the birth of the Bolton septuplets. The McCaughey septuplets were the first and only set of surviving septuplets, and if the Bolton babies survived, they would make world headlines as the second surviving set. The key word there was _if_. It had been a very risky pregnancy and they knew it would be a risky delivery as well, and the McCaughey's had been very lucky. They were nervous, but they were excited.

The next day, Christmas morning, Gabriella got another surprise- her mother, Troy's parents, and her friends, Taylor, Chad, Sharpay, Zeke, and their girls arrived to open gifts and catch up on the times. Gabriella was glowing with happiness and excitement, and Troy couldn't help but watch her. He would get sidetracked in his conversations just because he was so taken by her beauty. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy, and he knew that by bringing her family and friends in that night did so. She was elated and Troy just grinned, satisfied that he had made her that way.

Later that night, when all the gifts had been cleared away and their family and friends had gone home, Troy and Gabriella were sitting on the couch in her room together, just content with each other's presence. "That was one of my favorite Christmases. Thank you so much."

Troy kissed her. "You're welcome. I figured you needed some cheering up."

"Yes I did. But I guess in a way, just knowing that you're here with me and I'm still healthy and the babies are still okay is cheer enough." She stated. "I mean, I'm about twenty-three weeks along. That's not that far for a singleton pregnancy, but for multiples? That's really good. Especially with seven."

He patted her stomach. "Well you just keep them in there as long as you can."

Giggling, she kissed his cheek. "I just hope we can do this. I mean, this is going to be like _7__th__ Heaven_, only worse because all the kids are the same age."

"I know. And if they all arrive in one group... it means they're all going to leave in one group too."

"Troy!" She scolded softly. "We have about eighteen years until they leave. Can we please think positive?"

He laughed. "Okay, sorry. I can't help it, though. I've thought of all of these things. What it'll be like to teach seven kids how to read, how to tie their shoes... oh dear god, how to drive."

Gabriella smiled. "It'll be worth it, though."

"Of course it will," Troy grinned. "Everything will be worth it."


	14. Anticipation

**This is it guys! This is the one where the septuplets make their first appearance! Ha ha, this is like my favorite chapter. Well, one of them, anyway. Thank you all for your fabulous reviews! You helped me break 200 and I love you for that! Let's shoot for 300! Lol, that may be a little high. I'll settle for 250. :P So I just hope you all realize that it would be physically impossible for a mother to give birth to seven children at a time vaginally. Most mothers can't even do that with triplets! So obviously Gabriella will have a cesearean. Just so that's clear. Okay, enjoy!!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** All quintuplet, sextuplet, and septuplet births require an emergency cesarean section. This surgery requires the mother to be numbed from anesthetic from the chest down and lasts about three to ten minutes.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Anticipation

"I am so bored!" Gabriella exclaimed in frustration, throwing her book of word-searches across the room to land on the couch. "There's nothing to do!"

She was nearing the middle of her thirtieth gestational week, which meant she had been in the hospital for about ten weeks now, and frankly, she was sick of the scenery. Troy and Chad were away again for a basketball game, this time in Phoenix, so her only visitor had been Dr. Clark. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Taylor and Sharpay had visited when they could, and she knew her parents were coming up soon for the birth, but still she was lonely and still she was bored to tears. She had nearly completed the book of word searches and crossword puzzles, and had long since finished her book of Sudoku, and was now relying on magazines and television. It got ridiculously boring.

Besides that fact, Dr. Clark had told her it was not long now until the babies were born. She was anxious and couldn't focus on an activity for more than an hour or so. Troy had been her source of entertainment for the past seven weeks or so since she'd been there, and now that he was gone, she was immediately affected. Luckily, just as she thought she'd pass out from boredom, Taylor, Sharpay, and Madeleine and Lauren knocked on the door and entered, taking a seat on the couch opposite her bed. Gabriella grinned happily; glad she'd have someone to busy herself with and without delay instigated conversation.

"Oh _thank God_ you guys are here," She exclaimed with a sigh. "My life here is so limited."

Taylor laughed. "Well that's why we're here. Are you okay, hun?"

The brunette yawned, smoothing her blanket. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Notice how I can no longer lie on my back, though."

Sharpay nodded. "Yeah, why is that?"

"This stomach," Gabriella gestured. "The doctor said if I did the weight of it would collapse my lungs."

"God," Sharpay muttered, clutching her own baby bump which was at least ten times smaller. "Immediately?"

"Oh, no," Gabriella shook her head. "I'd have to be lying on it for long periods of time."

"That's not a pretty picture," Taylor said. "Speaking of pictures, did Troy-"

"Oh don't worry. He got so many pictures of this stomach we could start an album."

Laughing, Sharpay lifted Madeleine and Lauren onto her lap. "Are you excited, girls? Aunt Gabby is almost ready to have her babies!"

"Yeah," Lauren giggled. "She has a big belly."

Gabriella laughed this time. "I know. I thought your mommy's belly was big when she was pregnant with you two. I spoke too soon!"

"So do you know the genders?" Taylor asked anxiously. "I really want to know."

"Taylor, we didn't even tell our parents," She rolled her eyes. "Four girls and three boys."

"Aw, that's so exciting!" Sharpay exclaimed as her daughters hopped off her lap and ran to the window, pointing at the ocean. "So how are you two going to do this? I mean, seven babies. Zeke and I had a hard time with two."

Gabriella sighed. "I don't know. We decided to take this whole pregnancy one step at a time."

"But... you're so close to giving birth. You really should start thinking about it."

"Well my mom and his parents are going to stay with us for awhile. I don't know how we'll handle it. God only knows. But guys really. Kate Gosselin did it. Bobbi McCaughey did it. Becki Dilley did it. Why can't I?"

"Gab," Sharpay pointed out. "You don't see what you're getting into, do you? I mean, you'll never sleep. Ever. Because one baby will be satisfied, and then the next will need something."

"Shar, I feel like she did know what she was getting into, or else she wouldn't have done it." Taylor stated.

"Thank you." Gabriella nodded.

"I mean, you know that fertility treatments cause multiple births and-"

"Whoa, whoa, what?" The brunette stopped her friend, shaking her head. "No, no, no. You think we knew we were going to end up having seven babies at one time? Not at all. The goal of these fertility treatments is to create one baby. One. Most people only get that, and some don't even get that. Some people never get pregnant. We almost didn't."

Taylor was quiet. Sharpay spoke up. "Is that really true?"

Gabriella just stared at her. "Yes, Sharpay. We wanted one. We were counting on one. Were we surprised as hell? Yes. Because we expected to have one baby. Not seven."

After a beat, Taylor asked, "Well are you excited, at least?"

This time, Gabriella grinned. "I couldn't be more thrilled!"

* * *

Three days later, on February second, Gabriella woke up with sharp pains jolting through her stomach. At first she thought it was just cramps, as she'd been having a lot of those the past few days, but she realized this pain was much different. She wiped her brow which was slick with sweat already, and clutched her stomach as another contraction spread through her body. They weren't so painful yet, but she knew they'd only get worse. Today was the day. Today was the day she'd meet her babies.

Gripping her stomach, she rolled over in bed to her other side and glanced at clock. It was four fifty-six. So early, she knew Dr. Clark would not be awake. Gabriella knew she had to alert the medical staff and Troy, her sleeping husband who was passed out on the couch in front of her. She ran a hand through her hair and waited for another contraction. When it didn't come for an additional twenty minutes or so, she sighed, knowing it would be a long day.

"Troy!" She hissed in the darkness, hoping to get his attention. "Troy!"

He jumped awake. "What? What's wrong?"

Just coming to terms with what was going on made her tear up. "It's time. We're going to have our babies today."

Troy smiled. "Really? Now? This morning?"

"I'm having contractions, I assume that means today," Gabriella grinned with him. "Though I've never been in this situation before."

"Well, okay, okay!" He jumped up and sat on the bed in front of her. "Let's do this! Let's call the nurses!"

Gabriella was crying tears of joy. "I'm so excited!"

"Me too," Troy agreed, kissing her lips swiftly.

Moments later, they called in a few of the nurses into the room and told them of their wonderful news. One hurried to call Dr. Clark while the others hooked Gabriella up to the heart monitor and an IV. They loaded her into a hospital gown and wheelchair and brought her to labor and delivery. After lying her on the table, they began explaining the process to her. There would be a crew of about seventy two people in the room, and Dr. Clark was on his way. It was about six-thirty now, and the babies would all be born before seven o'clock.

Gabriella turned her head to the side where Troy was seated. "I'm nervous."

He kissed her temple. "Babe, don't be nervous. Everything's going to be okay."

As two doctors set up the blue medical curtain at Gabriella's chest so neither could see the gruesome surgery, Gabriella sighed. "Did you call our parents? Our friends too?"

"I called everyone. They're all here, I think. In the waiting room," Troy assured her. "So who do you think'll be born first? Boy or girl?"

"Boy," Gabriella stated adamantly. "They're always so eager to go everywhere."

Troy laughed. "That's true. I think a girl will be born first though. I don't know why, I have that feeling."

Dr. Clark burst through the door, a frustrated look on his face masked with a smile. "Good morning Boltons. Are you ready to meet your children?"

They both nodded and Dr. Clark began demanding doctors to take action. "Alright, let's do this people."

Troy looked around and noticed that there were too many people in the room for it to be comfortable. There were three nurses near each incubator where the babies would be placed immediately. There was a camera crew and forty doctors and nurses or so. They were all focused on the delivery, and Dr. Clark began lining up the tools needed on a metal tray. He cleared his throat and asked for the scalpel. When it was given to him, he grinned back at Gabriella and Troy.

"Here we go," Dr. Clark made the incision and motioned for backup. "Alright, this is going to happen fast. Sponge?"

"Sponge."

"Suction hose?"

"Suction hose. There's an amniotic sac."

"I'm slicing it now... I need the scalpel over here to detach the placenta."

"Good, I need the suction hose to get rid of the amniotic fluid... Baby A is a girl!"

Gabriella smiled at Troy. "You win."

Troy nodded, but both of them couldn't help but notice that she didn't cry when she was born. That wasn't a good sign.

"Baby B is a boy!"

"Baby C is a girl!"

"I've got another girl!"

"Boy!"

"Girl!"

"Baby G is a boy," Dr. Clark finished. "Congratulations, Troy and Gabriella."

Some were crying while others weren't, but Gabriella certainly was. Troy wiped her tears from her face and gave her a kiss as the doctors stitched up her stomach. She was wheeled into recovery after the surgery was over and Troy was left to cope with his emotions. Gabriella was sound asleep and Troy was just standing in the hall, completely shocked. He was a father now. That stunned him. Ten minutes ago, he didn't have any kids. Now, he was a father of seven. It was amazing.

"Troy, would you like to see them?" Dr. Clark asked. "They're all in critical condition, but you can see them if you'd like."

Troy smiled. "I'd love to, but you know what? Hold that thought."

He hurried back to the hospital room Gabriella used to stay in and got his video camera. Coming back into the NICU, or the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, he turned it on and followed Dr. Clark towards the babies. "I want Gabriella to be able to see them, and I know it'll be awhile until she can get here."

"That's very considerate of you."

They had the babies lined up in a row in birth order, with room between each of the incubators for the nurses to move freely. Troy focused in on their first little baby girl. "Here's little Anna Claire Bolton. First one out of the gate. She was born at 6:32 a.m. weighing two pounds and seven ounces."

"This is Joseph Connor Bolton," Troy moved along to the second child. "He was born at 6:32 a.m. weighing three pounds even. I think you're the biggest, little guy."

"Here's our little Caitlin Elizabeth. Born at 6:33 a.m. and weighing two pounds even. She's the smallest, poor girl. Hang in there, honey."

Troy moved on to the fourth incubator. "Hi Emily Grace! Emily was born at 6:33 a.m. weighing two pounds and fourteen ounces."

"This is Matthew Zachary Bolton. He was born at 6:34 a.m. weighing two pounds and eight ounces."

"Here's little Leah Nicole Bolton. She was born at 6:34 a.m. weighing two pounds and six ounces, and last but not least Nicholas Troy Bolton, born at 6:35 a.m. weighing two pounds and one ounce."

He focused the camera on himself this time. "Here they are, Gabriella. Here're our babies. Congratulations, Mommy. Your babies are beautiful."

Troy turned off the camera and handed it to Dr. Clark. "Can you make sure she watches this when she wakes up? I have to go talk to my family."

Dr. Clark nodded proudly. "Sure."

He walked calmly down the hall, still trying to come to terms with how this event, this procedure that was less than ten minutes long, had just changed his life. Troy realized that he and Gabriella hadn't even bought any cribs or a changing table yet. They only had enough bottles for maybe three children. The nursery wasn't ready. He sighed, comprehending that he had spent so much time with Gabriella in the hospital that he didn't have time to get the house ready. He shook his head, deciding to bask in the happiness of the moment before having to deal with the seriousness of the situation. Besides, the babies would be spending a lot of time in the hospital. They weren't exactly healthy...

"Troy!" Maria was the first to notice him. "How is she? How are they? Is everything alright?"

He smiled, politely kissing her cheek. "Everything's fine. Gabriella's alright; she's sleeping. And we have seven beautiful children now. Four girls and three boys."

"Oh!" Lucille wailed, bursting into a fit of happy tears. "I'm so happy!"

"Oh me too, me too!" Maria agreed and the two women clung to each other.

Jack hugged his son. "Congratulations. Did you and Gabriella decide on names?"

Troy nodded. "We had to have them in alphabetical order according to gender for the birth. So we-"

"Wait, you two knew the genders and didn't tell us?" Lucille boldly questioned her son.

Ignoring his mother's question, Troy went on. "So we decided on Anna Claire, Joseph Connor, Caitlin Elizabeth, Emily Grace, Matthew Zachary, Leah Nicole, and Nicholas Troy."

"Anna, Joseph, Caitlin, Emily, Matthew, Leah, and Nicholas," Taylor repeated. "Beautiful."

"None of the girls' middle names are Gabriella?" Sharpay questioned. "Why not?"

"I thought it would work, but Gabriella thought her name was too long." Troy explained. "I guess it doesn't really fit with any of them anyway."

"But they're okay?" Chad asked again, concerned for his friends' children. "They're breathing and all that?"

Troy laughed slightly. "Yeah. I mean, not on their own yet. But they're fine. Dr. Clark said they were healthier than normal babies born at this time so that's good. What really scared us is that only two or three of them came out crying. You know how babies are supposed to cry when they're born? Only a few of them did. But they're all okay, thank God."

"Did you see them already?" Zeke asked. "How do they look?"

"Small," He nodded. "There were a lot of different tubes and needles they were hooked up to. A lot of tape. But they look like babies. They're gorgeous."

"When can we see them?" Maria asked, Lucille nodding in agreement.

"I don't know. A week? Maybe two?" Troy was unsure. "They want to get them stabilized before any outside visitors come in."

"Has Gabriella seen them?"

"How long's recovery?"

"Is she awake? Can we see her yet?"

Meanwhile, as Troy answered his family and friends' million questions, Gabriella stirred in her recovery room and awoke. There were a few balloons in her room as well as a vase of flowers. She glanced at her wrist and grinned widely upon recognizing the seven I.D. bracelets that told of her children's births. Placing a hand on her stomach, it felt just a touch sore and so unusual for it to be somewhat flat again. Of course, there was still the useless flab left over that told she once carried seven children at once- she'd have to rid herself of that. Dr. Clark entered with more balloons and was pleased to see her awake.

"I just thought these would brighten up the room for you," He smiled, placing four 'It's A Girl!' balloons and three 'It's A Boy!' balloons by her bedside. "How are you?"

"A little tired but feeling much better," She answered. "How're the babies?"

"They're fine. Much healthier than we expected."

"Good, good."

"Before I go," Dr. Clark reached into his pocket for the video camera that Troy had given him and handed it to her. "Troy told me to make sure you watched this."

"Why? What did he do?"

The doctor only smiled. "You'll have to watch."

As he left the room, Gabriella switched to playback mode and pressed play. Troy's face popped up onscreen and she smiled at the sight of her husband. "_Hi Mommy. So I know recovery is about a week or so, which means you aren't getting out of bed to see you new babies anytime soon. Surprise, I know how to fix that._"

She cried tears of joy as he introduced all seven children to her. Even though they were small and connected to numerous machines, she couldn't help but see the beauty radiating from all seven of the babies. These tiny lives that she and Troy created... it was breathtaking. The video was ending as Troy turned the camera back on himself. "_Here they are, Gabriella. Here're our babies. Congratulations, Mommy. Your babies are beautiful_."

Gabriella choked back a sob. "So are yours."


	15. Exhaustion

**Yay, snow day! I love those. Well I have this entire week off anyway for Regents' and midterms, but I had an AP U.S. History midterm today and it was canceled so that makes me happy. Anyway, thank you all for your lovely reviews. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, what with the birth and all. This story is far from over, though. Just in case you were wondering. There's going to be twenty-one chapters. Ha ha. The LONGEST story I've ever written. I may even do a spin-off at the end...-okay, whoa. I'm getting ahead of myself. Enjoy this chapter and review please!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Two of the McCaughey septuplets, Alexis and Nathan, suffer from cerebral palsy, a very high risk when having so many babies. This disease affects their cognitive skills, muscular endurance, and ability to walk.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Exhaustion

Recovery was hell.

Gabriella was forced to lie in the hospital for a week, and slowly, she recovered from her traumatizing surgery. They had taken the stitches out just yesterday, and now today, February ninth, was the first day she'd be able to escape from her bed. It was a weird and awful feeling, knowing she just had multiple babies but wasn't allowed to see them. She hadn't actually seen them with her own eyes, though she watched the video Troy made her everyday. Troy had visited her ritually after visiting the NICU and kept her updated on the status of their babies, but it was nothing like seeing them for the first time. And today was the day.

Dr. Clark entered the room with a wheelchair as Gabriella was sitting up in bed, combing her hair. "Good morning, Gabriella. Are you ready for today?"

She nodded, resting the comb back on her bedside table. "I can't wait."

"Let's not make you wait any longer, then," He decided, helping her into the wheelchair. "The NICU is expecting you."

She smoothed out her hospital gown and played with her ID bracelets nervously. She didn't know why she was this nervous. She should be excited; after all she was going to see her babies for the first time. Yet something inside of her told her to be apprehensive, to be afraid of what she was going to see. Gabriella knew what infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit looked like. They were tiny and thin, usually because they were sickly, and had all kinds of intimidating cords and needles attached to them. She didn't know if she could take seeing her children like that. She wasn't sure if she could handle it.

Troy met them outside of the NICU and held the door open for Dr. Clark as he wheeled Gabriella in. It was such a large room- she wasn't expecting it to be this large. There were multiple families inside, crowed around their own incubator and baby, thinking the same thoughts. They were all praying for their babies to get well so they could take them home. Gabriella felt a touch of guilt, knowing her babies weren't in the NICU because they were sick, but only because there were so many of them that they couldn't make it full term. Dr. Clark wheeled her towards their section of the room, where ten or eleven nurses were rushing between the seven incubators.

"They're doing quite well," Dr. Clark informed. "Some are doing better than others. I think Matthew and Anna are doing much better than we ever believed. But generally speaking, they're all making progress."

"That's great," Troy smiled, but Gabriella was speechless. "So when do you think they'll be able to come home? I mean, just ballpark."

"I would say about five or six weeks. Seven tops." Dr. Clark responded. "Except Caitlin. She seems to be struggling more than any of them."

"Why?" Gabriella snapped out of her daze. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's developing much slower than the other six. She seems dependent on the ventilator and isn't trying to breathe on her own. We're just not sure what's going on with her. I mean, she's making progress, just very, very slowly."

"Do you think it's because she was the smallest?" Troy asked. "It might be harder for her to adjust because of that."

"That is a factor, yes." Dr. Clark nodded. "But enough of this morbid talk. Let's see your babies, okay?"

Gabriella agreed, but still worried about her little girl. "Sure."

The approached the first incubator. "This is Anna. She's been doing well, like I said earlier. She and Matthew might lose their ventilators early next week."

"She's beautiful," Gabriella commented, admiring the baby. Anna wasn't connected to many different tubes or wiring. She had a long strip of tape along her upper lip line that held the ventilator in place and led to her lungs to help her breathe. She also had another metal plate resting upon her chest with a wire connecting her to the fetal heart monitor. Anna's skin was a reddish pink, but looked healthy. Her eyes were open halfway, and so strikingly blue Gabriella grinned with excitement that she had inherited her father's eyes. She had fine dark hair upon her head and Troy smiled, knowing she'd gotten it from her mother.

"Hi Anna," Troy cooed. "Hello you beautiful girl."

Gabriella stuck her hand through the hole in the glass and laid a hand on her daughter's stomach, which rising and falling rhythmically. It was soft and smooth, not wrinkly as she'd expected. "Could you send some telepathy to Caitlin and tell her to get better? Because you're doing so well, honey."

Next they moved on to Joseph, who was doing well also, just not as well as Anna or Matthew. He also had the surgical tape and ventilator, as well as the metal heart monitor. He was hooked up to a tube that was feeding him as well, however, whereas Anna and Matthew were being bottle-fed already. His eyes were shut firmly, though his hand was moving, his fingers opening and closing into his palm. Gabriella got a kick out of this, and inserted her finger into his small hand. He clasped his fingers around her single one, and kept them there. This brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh my god," She smiled. "He's grasping my finger..."

Troy grinned happily, knowing this was what she wanted more than anything. "Your dream come true."

The next baby was Caitlin, and although they were anxious to see their daughter, Troy and Gabriella were dreading seeing her unhealthiness. She was lying on her stomach, wrapped in a thick blanket with a cap on her head- Dr. Clark explained this to be to keep her body temperature normal, since it had been fluctuating. She was breathing very fast and her heart was beating rapidly, as shown by the heart monitor. The tube down her throat leading to her lungs seemed to upset her, as she continuously made a whining noise.

"Aw, you poor dear," Gabriella cried, rubbing small circles on her back. "Please get well. We need you to get better so you can come home with us."

Troy ran a finger down her small cheek. "Come on, baby girl. You're here and you're okay. Please don't change that."

"You've got to pull through for us..."

"We love you..."

They didn't want to leave their girl, but in other ways they couldn't wait to get away. Having to look at their child in pain was heartbreaking and knowing they could do nothing about was even more so. Emily was next, and was in the same condition as Joseph. She also had the heart monitor and breathing tube, as well as the feeding needle too. She was lying contentedly in her incubator and a nurse was monitoring her vitals when the Boltons approached.

"Emily is doing slightly better than Joseph," The nurse informed them. "We expect her to lose her feeding tube in the next few days."

"Great," Gabriella beamed. "Oh, she's beautiful too."

"She looks like you," Troy commented. "All the babies look like a mix of both of us, but Emily looks just like you."

"Well Joey looks like you," Gabriella counteracted. "He'll be our little lady's man."

Matthew was next in line, and being in the same condition as Anna, he was doing extremely well for his condition. He was awake, and stared off into space with his bright blue eyes. The tape that held his ventilator seemed to be much thinner than the others, and his heart monitor was attached firmly to his chest. Gabriella pressed a kiss to her fingers and placed it on her son's cheek. She grinned when she saw him follow her hand with his eyes.

"That's a good sign," Dr. Clark pointed out to both the parents and one of the nurses. "Make sure you mark that down. His vision is good enough to follow movement."

"I was hoping they'd get your eyes," Gabriella admitted.

"Why?" Troy asked, surprised. "Your eyes are beautiful."

"No, they're brown and boring. But yours... they're so blue..."

Leah and Nicholas, the last two of the children, were doing okay, but not amazing. They weren't as bad as Caitlin, but they weren't doing as well as Anna and Matthew. After saying goodbye to all of their beautiful children, Gabriella and Troy headed back to her room where she was to pack and get ready to go home. They basked in the comfort of knowing their babies were in stable condition, though they continued to hope and pray for their further development.

"It's so weird to be leaving," Gabriella commented, placing more items in her bag. "I mean, I've been living here for, what, three months? I just feel like this is my home."

"So did this help you get over your fear of doctors and hospitals?" Troy asked.

"Well... sort of. I don't think I'm _as_ freaked out about them as I was before. But still... I can't forget it."

They left the hospital after thanking the staff immensely, and already were bombarded by the press and paparazzi. "Hey congratulations, you guys! You're parents now!"

"Are the babies okay?"

"What do they look like?"

"When do we get to see pictures?"

"How does it feel to have the second surviving set of septuplets in America?!?"

Troy and Gabriella ignored their questions, knowing they had a press conference to go to in just three short days. They got in their car and left the hospital, talking about how adorable their children are and how excited they were for them to come home. Gabriella pointed out this was the first time she'd been home since December, and as it was now February Troy was afraid he'd forgotten to do something for her homecoming. He knew the house was clean, but still was afraid that there was something he hadn't done. Upon seeing two foreign cars in their driveway, Troy had to explain to Gabriella that their parents had been living there for the past several weeks and she should expect them.

But they didn't expect such a greeting.

"Surprise!!" Maria yelled as the couple walked in the door. "Happy homecoming!!"

Gabriella stared at her mother and in-laws. "Um... thank you?"

"We know the babies aren't home yet," Lucille pointed out. "And trust me, we'll have a party for them when they do arrive. But you haven't been home in so long, honey, and we felt you deserved something like this."

"Well thank you, really," Gabriella smiled. "But really, all I want to do is get a good night's sleep. That's all I really need."

"Ah, but Gabby you have to see what we did for you." Maria coaxed her daughter upstairs. "There's more to our surprise."

She looked back at Troy. "Were you a part of this?"

"Maybe."

Gabriella was speechless when they brought her into the nursery. It had been finished exactly the way she and Troy planned it out to be. "You guys did all of this?"

"We did. You needed it, hun."

"Oh my, and the cribs?" She questioned. "Where did you get those? We completely forgot about the cribs."

"Well we bought two of them," Jack explained. "Maria bought one and the changing table, Zeke and Sharpay bought two, and Chad and Taylor bought two. You never did have time for a baby shower, so we just bought all of your stuff as a surprise."

"That's so nice of you guys," Gabriella was teary. "Thank you so much."

"And Gab, I special-ordered this stroller online that's made for seven," Troy grinned proudly. "It's pretty freaking awesome."

"Wow, you guys are so prepared." She commented. "I can't wait to put all of this stuff to good use."

"Now, tell me about these gorgeous babies," Lucille prodded her daughter-in-law. "How are they all doing?"

"They're fine. Matthew and Anna are doing the best, with Nicholas and Leah bringing the rear and Emily and Joseph in between. Caitlin, however..." Just speaking her name made Gabriella upset. "She's not doing so well."

Slinging an arm around Gabriella's shoulder, Troy pleaded with the parents. "Pray for her?"

All three nodded. "We will."

* * *

"Good morning and welcome to the first-ever conference with Troy and Gabriella Bolton, the parents of the world's second set of surviving septuplets. In birth order, the children are Anna Claire, Joseph Connor, Caitlin Elizabeth, Emily Grace, Matthew Zachary, Leah Nicole, and Nicholas Troy. The babies were born last Sunday, February second, and were listed in critical condition. Since then, Mr. and Mrs. Bolton have received multiple gifts and offers from the public. Today, they answer your questions."

Gabriella looked down at her lap before glancing up again. Troy grinned at her and she smiled back, ready to take on their questions. A reporter in the front began. "I would just like to congratulate both of you first. Having seven healthy children is a miracle."

"Thank you," Gabriella smiled.

"My question, though, is do you feel like you're more at an advantage than other parents of multiples money-wise? Seeing as Troy is a professional basketball player and all."

"Well... no, not really." Gabriella answered. "While yes it is true that Troy makes a bit more than an average husband, we'll still have to go through the same things as other families with multiples. We still have to make the same decisions and life is going to be just as hard."

"Having one baby is expensive no matter who you are and what you make for a living," Troy pointed out. "So having seven? That'll be difficult for anyone."

Another reporter raised his hand. "I heard that some of your septuplets are doing better than others. If this is true, how do you both manage to feel happy for those babies without ultimately feeling sad about those who aren't doing as well?"

"That's a very good question," Troy complimented. "And it is true; some are doing better than others. However, we tend to be more optimistic towards those who aren't doing so well as opposed to being sad. If we're not hopeful, we're not setting a very good example for them, are we? So we do manage to be happy for those who are excelling, but still continue to encourage those who aren't."

"Why did you choose to postpone this press conference?" A woman in the back asked. "Most extreme multiple births have the press conference within twenty-four hours of the birth."

Dr. Clark took over for this one, since it was his doing. "I postponed the press conference because I knew Gabriella was still recovering and both of them were exhausted. I knew neither of them would be in the right frame of mind to answer these questions and wouldn't be prepared for the onslaught after such little sleep and emotional exhaustion. They needed time and I gave them time."

"Who is going to get the first pictures of the babies? Are you going to show them to a TV station, like ABC or NBC? Or, because Troy's famous, are you going to sell them to a magazine?"

"We have been offered a cover spot on various magazines," Gabriella said. "But as of right now, it hasn't been discussed. Stay tuned."

"What kind of offers have you two been made and are you taking any of these up?"

"Many different companies have offered us clothing, bottles, furniture, strollers, and other necessities," Gabriella addressed. "We haven't really taken anyone up on their offers yet, but we're considering it. If they're willing to give them to us, we're willing to be the recipients. It's extremely generous of these companies and we're very grateful."

"When all seven of the babies return home, will you have help?"

"Our parents have both traveled from Albuquerque to help us out for a while." Troy answered. "We're not sure how long they'll be staying, but we wanted them to spend time with their grandchildren and the extra hands are also a bonus."

After the laughter had passed, a hand rose. "I understand that finding out you were expecting seven was a surprise. Did you ever want this many children?"

"To be honest," Gabriella eyed the reporter. "We wanted one. For a while, we thought we weren't even going to get that."

"Well, actually, I did want seven children. We always wanted seven, right?" Troy stated and Gabriella gave him a weird look. "Just not all at the same time."

More laughter erupted. "Going along with that question, I'm going to ask the one that's probably on everyone's mind. Why didn't you choose to selectively reduce? It would've saved your health and your children's health. It was a much better choice."

Troy was about to answer, knowing Gabriella hated this question, but she stepped up anyway. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I tell everyone else when they ask me this question. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Go into the NICU. Take one look at those seven little babies. Take your pick. Pick one, pick two, pick three!" Gabriella stared the reporter in the eye as she asked, "Which one wouldn't you have wanted?"


	16. Emotional

**Hey guys! I can't believe you practically got me to 250 reviews. I love you all, really. Thank you so much for said reviews and I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last one. Please note that there is a MAJOR time lapse between this one and the previous one. Some (well, more like most) of the babies come home near the end of the chapter and I don't want you to think, "Wow, that was fast!" because really, it wasn't. They were born February second and come home in April. Two months in the NICU. Just so we're clear.**

**I own nothing! Do enjoy!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** It is often common for nurses in the NICU to move two babies into an isolette together to help heal one another. They progress much faster when together, and such high-order multiples don't like being separated.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Emotional

Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Troy and Gabriella visited their children tearfully everyday, becoming good friends with the nurses and doctors in the NICU. Troy's basketball season ended and he was able to spend more and more time with Gabriella at home preparing for the arrival of their children. They knew it would be soon that the first couple of children would be able to come home and were completely ecstatic. The bed linens had been cleaned and placed on all the cribs, the clothes were washed and folded neatly in the giant closet, and the bottles, diapers, and other prime necessities were all in place.

Dr. Clark had offered Gabriella a complimentary reconstructive surgery on her stomach to fix the extra flab and skin left over from the pregnancy. Gabriella had mixed feelings about this, knowing she really couldn't handle another surgery right now. She'd been through three in the past six weeks. He informed her it was completely her decision, but it was also impossible to get rid of through diet and exercise. It wasn't a matter of fat, it was just leftover skin, and it wouldn't go away without surgery. She hesitated for a long time before agreeing to go along with it. She did want her stomach back, and although it was an extreme risk, she was willing to take it.

That was almost three weeks ago, and now she had fully recovered and had her stomach back to normal. Gabriella was content with her decision and as soon as she was able to move again she got right back to visiting her beautiful babies. Today was a balmy day in late March and she and Troy entered the hospital hand in hand, greeting the secretary cordially. They took the elevator to the fourth floor and got buzzed into the NICU. It was such a daily routine they didn't even have to think twice about it. Saying hello to a few of the nurses, Troy and Gabriella washed their hands thoroughly and carefully walked towards their seven incubators.

"Good afternoon Troy, Gabriella." A young nurse smiled upon their arrival. She was the head of NICU and they knew her as Nurse Karen. "I'm glad you're here. We have exciting news."

Gabriella's eyes lit up. "You do? Like what? I've been waiting for exciting news since they were born."

Karen laughed as another nurse approached, Nurse Catherine. "Anna and Matthew are well enough that you two may hold them today."

"We can hold them?" Troy reiterated, not believing what he was hearing.

Catherine nodded. "All seven of the babies have been off the ventilators for a while now. But these two seem to be the healthiest and we know how anxious you two are to get them in your arms."

"I can't wait," Gabriella remarked excitedly as she and Troy followed the nurses over to their children.

Catherine lifted the glass to the incubator and gently lifted their little boy out, cradling him in her arms. She held him out to Gabriella with a smile. "This is a momentous moment."

Gabriella took a hold on her son, tears streaming down her face as she looked over his beautiful features. He appeared to be asleep at first, but as one of her tears splashed down upon his cheek, he flinched and opened his striking blue eyes. Matthew looked at his mother and smiled, causing Gabriella to cry even harder as she sat in a chair nearby. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. Wiping tears from her eyes, she leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Oh honey, you just made this one of the best days of my life," She cooed to her son. "I love you, Matt. You beautiful boy."

As Troy watched in happiness, Karen came to him with another small bundle. "Do you want to hold Anna?"

Troy gave her a look, holding out his arms. "Do you even have to ask?"

Anna was wide awake, and staring so intently at her father that he had to chuckle. He felt such a wave of emotion that tears began to develop in his eyes as well. He sat next to his wife and kissed Anna's cheek. Gently rocking her, he listened to her coos and just grinned happily, so pleased that at least two of their children would be alright. And at the rate the others were developing, he prayed they would get to this point in health soon. Especially Caitlin.

"I believe the two of them will be able to go home within the next few days," Karen expressed, checking over Leah. "Take your time with them."

"I think we should have our parents come now," Troy said to Gabriella, still admiring his daughter. "They still haven't seen the babies and I know they're dying to."

Gabriella nodded. "Tomorrow. Want to trade?"

"Sure," He and Gabriella switched babies so he was now cradling his son. "Hey there little man. You tell your brothers to get well, okay? I need to get you started on basketball practices!"

Gabriella laughed, rocking Anna in her arms. "How are you, baby girl? This is crazy isn't it? First one out of the gate and the healthiest. You're just here to make a statement, aren't you Anna?"

"Actually," Catherine intervened. "Because of Anna and Matthew's health, we're going to move them into Leah and Nicholas's incubators, respectively. We believe that by giving the struggling ones a roommate, they'll recognize their brother or sister and thrive on that."

"That can happen?" Troy questioned, skeptical.

"Yeah. In most multiple cases, it was shown that once they were moved back together again, they relied on each other to get well again." Karen explained. "See, once they're separated at birth, they don't realize that the others are still around. So when we put them together, it's kind of like a reunion. It's like, 'Hey! It's me again! Remember me?' And then by being reunited with their siblings, they progress even faster."

"But wouldn't the one who is not as healthy bring down the one who is?" Gabriella asked.

"That's never happened. I'm not sure if it's possible."

Catherine moved Anna in with Leah, placing their arms on each other's stomachs. "Even though they can't speak, they know it's each other. They're sure of it."

Karen nodded as she did the same with Matthew and Nicholas. "This'll do just what we need for Leah and Nicholas. They'll get much stronger this way."

Troy and Gabriella visited Joseph and Emily for a while before making their way to Caitlin. No matter what, they always saved Caitlin for last. It wasn't because she was sickest; not at all. It was because they knew they had to spend the most time with her. She needed the most encouragement at this point in time and Troy and Gabriella did their best to give it to her. Her temperature had long since been evened out and so she was no longer wrapped tightly in the warming-cooling blanket, however she had undergone many other problems. Though so far, she'd toughened them all out.

Karen shook her head. "Caitlin had a small lung problem where she was wheezing, or breathing too quickly and becoming winded. She's off the ventilator for now, but if these problems persist she may have to go back on."

"No!" Gabriella cried. "She's been making progress. She can't backtrack."

"She had a viral infection, like I explained to you days ago, but we treated her with antibiotics and she shows no symptoms," Karen offered. "She's a fighter, that little one."

"Hang in there, Caitlin," Troy rubbed soothing circles on his daughter's stomach. "You've gotta pull through."

* * *

The next evening, Troy and Gabriella brought Jack, Lucille, and Maria to the hospital to meet their grandchildren. The three were infatuated by the babies, loving that they could hold them and have them respond. They couldn't wait for the day that all seven came home safely and they didn't have to worry anymore that something was going to go wrong. Lucille asked the nurses a lot of questions, Maria sobbed as she cradled Anna, and Jack couldn't take his eyes off of Matthew. He was too in love with his grandchildren, and the sight brought tears to Troy and Gabriella's eyes.

"How's Caitlin?" Maria sniffled, wiping her tears as she pressed a kiss to Emily's cheek via fingertips.

Tearing her gaze away from Joseph, Lucille nodded. "Yes, how is she? How is the poor thing?"

"She's doing better," Gabriella answered quietly, caressing her daughter's small body. "Better than before, anyway."

"I just want to know she'll be okay," Maria sighed.

"So do I, Mom." Gabriella assured her. "So do I."

Just then, the door to the NICU burst open and a young couple entered hurriedly. The woman was pale and looked as if she hadn't eaten in days. The man clung to his wife, barely making it in the room without breaking into tears. They walked towards one of the incubators, but a nurse stopped them and pulled them aside. The woman, who was already clutching multiple tissues, brought them to her face as the nurse shook her head. She collapsed into her husbands arms in hysterical sobs and he held her, crying silent tears into her hair. The woman screamed with agony, cursing herself and asking why it had to happen to them. As the husband tried, but failed, to console her, as he was crying himself, the nurse escorted them out of the NICU to talk about making arrangements. Gabriella and Troy watched, wide-eyed. They couldn't imagine what it was like.

"Oh my God," She said quietly. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

Catherine was on the scene and overheard Gabriella's comment. "You have to understand, honey, that their baby was very premature and very, very sick. There was nothing we could do."

"I feel like complete shit," Troy expressed openly. "We have seven moderately healthy babies. They had one and he or she didn't make it. How is that fair?"

Gabriella crossed the room to hug her husband, which he gave in to gratefully. "It's not fair. Nothing's ever fair."

"You have to be optimistic." Jack encouraged, placing a hand on Troy's shoulder. "Everything's going to be okay."

Gabriella tried to soak in her father-in-law's attitude. But it was difficult, for here, standing in a room full of babies facing life or death, everything was bleak.

* * *

On April second, two months since the birth, Matthew Zachary Bolton was allowed to go home.

He was a healthy nine pounds and seven ounces on the day of his departure, and the entire NICU staff had tears in their eyes as he left. They knew this was just the beginning, as they still had six others who were going to leave. Troy and Gabriella had been ridiculously excited, and took their baby boy around the house, showing him everything from the kitchen to the bathroom, his nursery and everything in between. They didn't take him around town, however, for fear of paparazzi and unwanted photos, so instead they spent the first few nights at home with their baby, getting used to having an infant in the house. And with Troy and Gabriella's parents there, it was easy. Much easier than expected, actually.

On April fifth, two months and three days after the birth, Anna Claire Bolton was discharged from the hospital.

Anna was just over nine pounds when she left, an eating and healing thing. She had made Leah so much healthier, just like the nurses said she would. It was like having a set of twins, Troy and Gabriella decided. They enlisted in Sharpay and Zeke's advice as they took care of their two angels. Again, it wasn't that hard. When one wanted to eat, the other wanted to sleep, so they always managed to have someone awake. They took the days and nights in shifts, so no one was very tired. It was a different life, but they enjoyed it. After years of waiting for a baby, having two was a blessing.

On April tenth, two months, one week, and one day since the birth, Emily Grace Bolton was allowed to go home.

Having three of the seven home only expanded their routine. They added nine-pound ten-ounce Emily to their plan and stuck to it. Life was getting slightly harder, as now there were three babies, but a person only had two hands. If Troy and Gabriella didn't have Jack, Lucille, and Maria, they would be lost. Even though there were times they just wanted to be their own little family and not have the others intervene, they greatly appreciated their parents' help. They would be nowhere without the advice and guidance.

On April twelfth, two months, one week, and three days after the birth, Joseph Connor Bolton was discharged from the NICU.

At this point, after letting ten-pound Joseph go home, more than half of the Bolton septuplets had been released and the NICU nurses had to look after fewer Boltons. It made them sad, as they had gotten so attached to the children, but they knew how excited Troy and Gabriella were to get them home. By the time Joseph had arrived, their routine went through the window. It no longer worked now that there were four different babies with four different needs at four different times. Life was getting considerably harder, and they knew it would just get worse from then on.

On April fourteenth, two months and two weeks since the birth, Nicholas Troy Bolton was allowed to join his siblings and parents at home.

When ten-pound two-ounce Nicholas got home, there was one baby for each adult. This made it somewhat easy to deal with, but in other respects life just got crazier. Troy and Gabriella missed the easy days back when there were two of them home. After breakfast, there was an assembly line to get them ready for the day: Jack would wash their faces, Lucille would change their diapers, Maria would put on onesies, Troy would dress the top half of the body and Gabriella would dress the bottom half, while also combing hair. At night, it was the same; an assembly line was formed at bath time: Troy and Gabriella would bathe two at a time, hand them off to Jack who would dry, Maria would diaper, and Lucille would dress. By the time they were all fast asleep, at least two of the adults would be too.

On April seventeenth, two months, two weeks, and three days after the birth, Leah Nicole Bolton was permitted to go home.

Leah weighed about eight pounds and fifteen ounces, which was a sharp contrast to her birth weight. She had been the second largest baby, and now she was the second smallest- following dear Caitlin. Leah was also the sixth baby to come home, so by the time she did, life at the Bolton household was ridiculously crazy. They hadn't left the house since Matthew first came home, except for Jack or Troy to run to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. It was a crazy life and though Gabriella had expected it to be, she never could've prepared herself for it.

And they weren't even done. Their seventh baby hadn't come home yet.

Today, April eighteenth and the first full day with six out of their seven babies, life was just as crazy. Gabriella was seated Indian-style on the couch with two of the infants, Matthew and Leah, bottle-feeding them, while Troy was changing Anna on the floor, Jack was trying to stop Emily from crying, Maria was redressing Joseph, and Lucille was tickling Nicholas's stomach and making him giggle. As per the usual, Gabriella glanced at her hectic life and laughed. Troy looked up, not seeing the humor, but smiling anyway.

"What?" He asked his wife, getting pleasure from her giggle.

"Nothing, really." She responded, the smile still on her face as she tipped both bottles upward. "This is just crazy. It's stressful and overwhelming and horrible. But I love it."

Lucille grinned. "That's the attitude!"

"I agree," Troy nodded, lifting Anna into his arms and sitting beside his wife as he rocked her. "Life has changed forever. This is something no parent should have to go through. But it's kind of fun. I love all of these little guys."

"I love them too," Gabriella kissed the two she was holding. "But... it's not complete. Our family isn't complete until we get Caitlin home."

Troy nodded, and knew that he and the family would have to stay sane until they got their little girl home with them. For Caitlin only...


	17. Overwhelmed

**Yay, so guess what? Today is February second, hahah. This is the day the septuplets were born... well, if they were real, lol. So anyway, your reviews and encouragements for Caitlin were wonderful. And yes, yes I have heard about the octuplets, lol. From MANY of you. I heard about it on the news, in the papers, and then on Chelsea Lately. Then I opened my e-mail and had a bazillion of reviews and PMs from all of you telling me too. Hahah, THANK YOU! Yes it was quite amazing; I'm sure that woman broke some kind of record. **

**I don't own anything. Anything! Anything! I don't anything! Anything at all!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** To stay out of the NICU, a baby needs to be born after 36 weeks. To survive, a baby needs to be born after 27 weeks. The Gosselin sextuplets were born at 29, the McCaughey septuplets were born at 30, and the Dilley sextuplets were born at 31.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Overwhelmed

Early on the morning of April twenty-second, Gabriella was in the nursery changing Emily's diaper while Troy was gently rocking Joseph back to sleep. It was usual for this young couple to be awake at all hours. They hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in over two months, even though the babies hadn't even been home that long yet. So far, the longest Troy and Gabriella had slept, collectively, was about two to three hours. They had never enjoyed coffee before, but now were living on it. They were used to the lack of sleep by now, and Gabriella only grinned tiredly at her daughter while she finished changing her.

Just then, the phone rang down the hall in their bedroom, and Gabriella and Troy glanced at each other. Who could be calling at this late hour? Taking a strained look at the clock, Troy noticed it was only four forty a.m. The only call that would be coming in at this time would be... the hospital. Gabriella placed Emily back in crib before hurrying across the hall to answer the phone. She returned to the room where Troy was just placing their sleeping infant in his respective crib. Gabriella took a deep breath as she waited for the other line to come through.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, Gabriella? This is Karen from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Is Troy there with you? We have some important news._"

"Yes, he's here with me." Troy reached for her free hand and she took it. "What is it?"

"_I'm sorry-_"

That was all Gabriella had to hear for tears to pour down her cheeks. It was Caitlin. Something had happened to Caitlin. "You're... sorry?"

"_-to have called so early?_" Karen finished her previous statement. "_That's what I meant_."

Gabriella continued to cry, however, as Karen explained the situation at the hospital. She sobbed incessantly which confirmed Troy's thoughts as he closed his eyes. Caitlin was gone. Their precious baby girl was dead. She was making so much progress, but then one infectious virus took her out. He gripped Gabriella's hand tighter as she nodded along with what Karen was saying, something along the lines of funeral arrangements, Troy thought. He knew nothing would ever be the same. They wouldn't be able to look at their six babies without ultimately thinking about their seventh. As Gabriella hung up the phone and her sobs continued, Troy rubbed her knee.

"Troy, she's... Caitlin... she's..." She couldn't form a sentence. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Gabriella tried desperately to calm herself down.

"I know," Troy said quietly. "I know."

Gabriella shot him a confused look. "You know? How could you know?"

"The look on your face says it all." He stated simply, hugging her tightly to his body.

She hugged him back in excitement and then smiled as she pulled away. "It's great, isn't it? I'm so happy."

It was Troy's turn to look puzzled. "What? You're happy? How could you be happy?"

"Our little girl is coming home, Troy." Gabriella said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Wait, she is?"

Gabriella laughed. "I thought you said you knew what was going on!"

"I thought I did!" He defended himself. "Caitlin isn't... gone?"

"Gone?" She asked. "Oh, you mean dead? Troy, no! I was crying because I was happy! She's okay! Karen said she'll be able to come home today. The viral infection cleared up within the last few days and she began feeding normally. She's coming home. She's finally going to be with the rest of us!"

Troy kissed her in excitement. "Oh thank God! You scared the hell out of me!"

"I'm sorry! I thought you'd pick up on it!"

They glanced over at the empty crib next to Anna and smiled. Today, it would finally be filled.

* * *

Word spread fast that the Boltons would be taking their final child home from the NICU. Reporters and photographers were surrounding the entrance of the hospital as Troy and Gabriella tried helplessly to exit. They were pushing their infamous seven-seat stroller- which conveniently had four seats in the back and three in the front- through the hospital doors and getting all kinds of questions. The couple did their best to ignore it and loaded their children into the car to go home. Today was the day they would have their welcome home party for the septuplets. Troy's teammates, wives and children were all invited, as well as their family friends, neighbors, and anyone who had helped them through their struggle.

No one had arrived to the party yet, so Gabriella, Troy, and their parents took this opportunity to set up. The Bolton's backyard would serve as the party venue, and Jack and Troy got right to decorating with various balloons, streamers, and banners. They set up tables with food and drinks while Maria, Lucille, and Gabriella dressed the babies in their party attire. The girls all wore a bright pink dress and teeny sandals while the boys wore baby blue shirts, khaki shorts and sneakers. Troy noticed the people beginning to show up and hurried inside to inform the girls.

Gabriella spotted Troy first. "Hey, what do you think? They look nice, don't they?"

He gave her a kiss in greeting. "They look great. There are some people outside now. They're eager."

"Ooh! We better get down there!" Maria kissed her daughter's cheek and patted Troy's shoulder as she handed Nicholas to him.

"We better! Someone has to entertain them while you two are getting ready up here!" Lucille agreed and the two women left the room.

"We are ready," Gabriella commented, her and Troy loading the seven back into their stroller once they were downstairs. They entered the backyard and there was immense applause.

"On February second," Lucille stood, quieting the crowd and beginning to make a speech. "Gabriella made history when she gave birth to the second surviving set of septuplets in the world."

"She and Troy knew the survival rate was slim and they had many risky obstacles to overcome, but they pursued it anyway." Maria continued. "And we are so glad they did!"

"Because of their immense struggle, we have seven gorgeous and healthy grandchildren," Lucille picked up. "It was a hard road to follow, but they're finally home."

"And now we would like to introduce you to Anna, Joseph, Caitlin, Emily, Matthew, Leah and Nicholas Bolton!" Maria finished and applause came again.

Troy and Gabriella just looked at each other. "Did they plan this?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I guess so. They overdid it, didn't they?"

Her husband nodded and shook hands with a few of his teammates as they offered their congratulations. Gabriella pushed the stroller into the middle of the yard so the crowd could see their beautiful faces. Leah and Caitlin were asleep, but the others were wide awake and looking interestedly at their surroundings. Troy was holding Joseph and talking with Chad, Zeke, and a few other teammates of his while Gabriella, holding Emily, was speaking with Sharpay and Taylor. Each of their friends and neighbors were allowed to hold a baby, though they were under careful watch by the parents.

"Your babies are so precious." Taylor cooed, stroking Emily's cheek as she lay comfortably in her mother's arms.

"Thanks," Gabriella smiled. "To be honest, I'm just glad they're all home now, safe and sound. Leah, Caitlin, and Nicholas are having a bit of a reflux problem, but that's normal."

"Reflux?" Sharpay questioned. "Like acid reflux?"

"Kind of. They'll drink their formula but then they'll vomit so we never really know how much they're getting. The doctors in the NICU said it's normal for preemies, though. It's just frustrating."

"I bet it is," Taylor nodded in agreement. "It must feel like you're wasting your time."

"It does! Exactly!" Gabriella was glad someone understood. "Because you know that they're hungry and you know that they need to be fed, but they just puke it up afterwards. And it isn't their fault because it's just reflex and that's what happens when their digestive tract isn't fully developed. They were ten weeks early and it's just... they weren't even supposed to be born yet."

"Gabriella, you never would've carried them full term." Sharpay assured her friend. "That wasn't even possible."

"Oh I know, it's just... I don't know. I still have this feeling."

She glanced down at her Emily who was just staring back at her mother with her big blue eyes. Her daughter gave her a toothless smile and Gabriella had to laugh.

"Thank you Emily. You made my day."

* * *

By June first, Troy and Gabriella were getting sick of their parents.

At first, they had been extremely helpful, taking care of feedings and diaper changes while Troy and Gabriella got a few extra minutes of sleep. But now, all they wanted to do was take over. They wanted to be the ones to dress the babies or to take them for a walk around their gated neighborhood, leaving Troy and Gabriella to sit back and do... nothing. They just wanted to ask their parents: Whose babies are these, ours or yours? And they were actually afraid of the answer!

"I think we should tell our parents to leave." Troy announced to his wife one morning while she was making breakfast at the counter.

"Really?" Gabriella asked in surprise. "Can we do that?"

He laughed. "Why not? It's our house. Don't you want to?"

"Yes, my mother is taking over." She agreed, mixing a bottle of formula and pumped breast milk. "Don't you think that'll be hard, though? I don't know if I can do it."

"Yes you can. Do you want me to help you?"

"No, I think we should each tell our respective parents separately. Knowing my mother, she'll freak out and then you'll feel bad and let her stay."

"True," Troy nodded. "You'll do the same with my Mom."

"During nap time, then?" Gabriella suggested, bringing the bottles she was mixing with her towards the nursery.

"Deal."

Around one o' clock that afternoon, as Gabriella was putting the last of the babies to bed, Troy called his parents into the family room to speak with them. He wasn't going to beat around the bush, but he was still nervous. He knew his father would most likely be okay with it, but his mother would probably cry and get defensive. He didn't want them to think he was kicking them to the curb, especially after everything they've done for him in the past few months. He was extremely grateful and appreciative, but he believed that if they didn't leave now, he and Gabriella would never get the hang of parenting alone.

"What is it, Troy?" Lucille asked her son. "I was about to put Matthew to sleep."

"Gabriella can handle it, Mom. Listen," Troy cleared his throat and ignored the pained expression on his mother's face. "Don't think that what I'm going to say is because I don't appreciate everything you've been doing for us. I do, trust me. You guys have been there for us in every respect. But if you two are always there, how will we ever get on alone, you know?"

Jack nodded. "Right."

"So, I don't want to seem like I'm trying to get rid of you, but-"

"You want us to go home?" His father finished.

Troy closed his eyes as he braced himself for their reaction. "Yeah, kinda."

"Okay."

His eyes shot open. "Okay?"

"Yeah," Lucille nodded. "That's okay with us."

"Really?!?"

"I have to get back to work." Jack stated. "School starts in a few months."

"You guys are really okay with this?" Troy asked in disbelief, amazed at how well he was taking this.

"Yes Troy," Lucille laughed. "We knew this day would come eventually."

"We'll find the soonest flight out."

Troy walked back into the kitchen where Gabriella was finishing her lunch. She looked up hopefully. "How'd they take it?"

"They said okay," He was still dazed. "They're totally cool with it. I didn't expect that at all."

"Wow, really?" She asked, dropping her yogurt cup in the garbage and rinsing off the spoon in the sink. "I hope my Mom will be fine with it."

Troy nodded and took a seat at the kitchen counter while Gabriella headed up to the guest bedroom to talk to her mom. Fifteen minutes later, she returned and Troy questioned her. "How was it? Is she okay?"

Gabriella looked down at the floor. "She's staying another year."

"What?" Troy's skepticism ran clear. "What happened?"

"Well I tried!" She defended. "But then she started crying and... I can't take it when my Mom cries, Troy! I've always been a sucker for her crying. That's the only way she got me to do something I really didn't want to do."

"Oh Gabriella," He sighed. "You want me to talk to her?"

"No," She groaned. "I have to do it. I have to stand up to my mother at some point in my life, why not now?"

Troy gave her a kiss for good luck. "You can do it."

Gabriella sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah..."

She trudged up the stairs again and knocked on the bedroom door. Maria opened it, looking cheerful. "Hi honey! What's wrong?"

"Mom, I really have to talk to you." Gabriella drew in a breath as she entered the bedroom and sat with her mother on the bed. "I'm serious this time. I guess I wasn't strong enough in my last approach."

"Last approach in what, dear?"

"Troy and I are really appreciative of the help and extra hands you've given us in the past few months, but-"

"We've been through this, haven't we?" Maria asked, taking her daughter's hand. "I thought you wanted me to stay longer."

She bit her lip. "No actually... we were kind of hoping you would go."

"Go? Go home?" Maria looked heartbroken. "That's why you wanted to talk to me earlier? To tell me to leave?"

"Not necessarily, I mean-" But she stopped herself. _No, Gabriella. Be strong._ "Yes."

"Well alright," She spoke quietly. "I guess I knew it was coming. I mean, I can't live here forever. It's just... it's so lonely back home!"

"I'm sorry," Gabriella genuinely felt bad. "Please don't make this harder than it already is."

Maria kissed her daughter's cheek. "I didn't mean to. I just love you and I love Troy and I love my seven miracle grandchildren. It'll be hard to say goodbye."

"But you're only going back home," Gabriella pointed out. "I mean, you can visit any time you want."

Agreeing, Maria smiled. "You're right."

After she had her mother reassured, Gabriella left the room to find Troy waiting for her. "So?"

"She's fine. And I just stood up to my mother for the first time."

Troy laughed. "I'm so proud of you!"

A week and a half later, they were waving in the driveway as their parents drove away towards the airport. It would be different not to have them as guests in their home, but in a way it would finally feel like their family was home again. It was just them and they were excited to start their lives with seven children. They entered the house again to come to a multitude of shrieks and cries. Each of the seven babies was screaming crying and Troy and Gabriella only looked at each other warily.

"This is what we wanted." Gabriella reminded her husband, tending to one of the infants.

Troy nodded. "You're going to have to keep reminding me."


	18. Scare

**So I know you guys are all anxious and everything, but trust me, you really don't want me to update. There are only three chapters left after this one (tear). Anywayyyyy, thank you so much for your reviews! Look at them, 281? That's fantastic. Can we make it 300? Can we? CAN WE? Hahaha. I bet we can. :D Why? Because I have the best reviewers in the world... even though you all wanted to kill me last chapter when I almost killed Caitlin. Come on, did you really think I'd do that to you?**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Keith and Becki Dilley once had a cerebral palsy scare with the oldest of their sextuplets, Brenna. She hadn't been moving and was crying constantly and when they took her to the doctor, they were informed that she may have cerebral palsy. Fortunately, they took all the precautions and the disease never developed.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Scare

"Emily's crying again!"

"So is Nick! Can you get her while I figure out what's wrong with him?"

"Well I was trying to change Caitlin..."

"I know, I was feeding Joey."

Life, as to be expected, had not gotten any easier since Troy and Gabriella's parents had left their home in sunny California. It was the second week in June, a little over four months since the birth of their septuplets. Neither Troy nor Gabriella had worked since then, seeing as basketball season was over and Gabriella's maternity leave had quadrupled and was not over. They were afraid to speak of the time that would come when one or both of them would have to go back. For now, they were just living in the moment. And what a hectic moment it was.

There had been various breakdowns between the two of them since their parents had left. One afternoon, after Gabriella had returned home from grocery shopping, she found her husband sitting in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by babies, clothing, and a variety of other infancy items. He was shaking his head as they screamed around him. Many times he repeated that they were in over their heads and couldn't do this. They couldn't raise seven babies at one time, it was ridiculous! Gabriella was shocked, but did what she could to assure him they were okay.

Troy wasn't the only one to doubt their abilities. Gabriella, after a hard day of incessant crying, sat on the floor of one of the bathrooms and cried. She didn't want to admit to Troy that she'd been feeling the same thing- that they couldn't do this- especially because she knew she was his rock. They were dependent on each other to get them through this time, and when he found her in the bathroom that night, he knew their feelings were mutual.

And yet another problem was plaguing them. Emily and Nicholas were crying much more than the other infants. They cried no matter what Troy and Gabriella did to placate them. No amount of cuddling, rocking, diaper-changing, feeding, or love would make the crying stop. Eventually they'd tire themselves out and fall asleep, but as soon as they awoke, the crying would start again. As the other babies would start holding their heads up on their own and try to become mobile, Emily and Nicholas would only lie in place. Troy and Gabriella were becoming increasingly worried about their developmental progress.

Gabriella lifted Nick into her free arm as she attempted to feed Joseph with the other. "I should've been born with four arms."

Troy laughed but agreed, bouncing Emily in his left arm as he tried to change Caitlin with his right on the floor. "Tell me about it. If I was an octopus, it would really come in handy."

After Joseph was fed and asleep and Caitlin was diapered and occupied in one of the numerous Graco bouncy seats, Troy and Gabriella were seated next to each other on the couch, still trying to calm the hysterical Emily and Nicholas. Gabriella turned to her husband. "Do you think there's something wrong with them? They have to be crying for a reason."

"There might be," Troy was reluctant to admit. "Maybe we should take them to the pediatrician."

Above Emily's shrieking, Gabriella nodded. "I'll call now. I can't take it anymore."

They were scheduled for an appointment the next day, and had Zeke and Sharpay, because of their experience in the matter, watch over the other five babies. It was different, only having two of their seven. People who didn't immediately recognize them commented on how beautiful their twins were, while Troy and Gabriella thanked them awkwardly. They didn't have the heart to tell them they had five more waiting at home.

After following a nurse to one of the clinical annexes, their pediatrician, Dr. Carroll entered the room. "Good morning. How are you?"

"We're fine," Gabriella answered for her and Troy. "I don't know about the babies, though."

"What seems to be the problem here?"

"Emily and Nick have always been the quiet ones," Troy explained, unbuckling his son from the car seat. "Then all of a sudden, they started crying non-stop. There's nothing we can do to make them stop crying. Eventually, they'll tire themselves out and fall asleep, but as soon as they wake up it's back to crying again."

"And they're really inactive. The others are trying to hold their heads up on their own, sit up, and get stronger developmentally. But Emmy and Nick... they're not even trying." Gabriella added.

Dr. Carroll nodded. "They most likely have colic. I'll check their vitals and search for other symptoms."

"What's colic?" Troy asked in confusion. "Sorry, I'm a first time parent."

Their doctor laughed as he placed the cool end of the stethoscope on Emily's chest. "It's a condition where the infant cries incessantly for more than an hour or so at a time. It's usually caused by trapped gas in the digestive tract and can be easily solved."

But after checking all the signs in both babies, Dr. Carroll was puzzled. "It's definitely not colic. They both checked negative in all symptoms of the condition. The only other possibly disease that could be attributed to this, which would also explain the languid qualities as well, would be cerebral palsy."

"Cerebral palsy?" Gabriella gasped, her eyes widening.

Troy cradled Emily closer to his chest, as if trying to protect her from the disease. "Do you think that's what it is?"

Dr. Carroll's face was grim. "It's a definite possibility. It would explain why they've been crying and inactive."

"But they don't have it yet, do they?" Gabriella inquired in fear. "What can we do to prevent it from coming? I mean, if anything."

"No, I wouldn't diagnose them just yet. I recommend you just keep these two constantly in motion. Give them extra attention and make sure you exercise their limbs with isolations. I'll make an appointment for you to come back two weeks from today and we'll go from there."

Troy and Gabriella nodded their understanding, fear showing through their actions as they buckled their infants into the Graco car seats and carried them out to the car. Troy wasn't exactly sure what cerebral palsy entailed, but he knew that one of his father's friends had a son who was in a wheelchair because of his cerebral palsy, and Troy couldn't imagine the horridness. He knew that cerebral palsy was one of the risks of having multiples, but since the babies had all left the NICU without any major problems, Troy hoped that they were clear from any major disabilities. This incident just proved his thoughts all wrong.

They arrived home and Sharpay, with Lauren on her hip and Caitlin in her other arm, greeted them first. "So what's the diagnosis?"

Gabriella, with tears in her eyes, answered, "They might have cerebral palsy."

"What!?"

"Shar, you shouldn't be lifting two kids at once," Zeke advised, entering the room. "It'll hurt the baby."

"Emily and Nick might have cerebral palsy!" Sharpay reiterated for her husband and Zeke's eyes bulged.

"No! They can't! Just when everything was going fine-"

"I know, I know," Troy cut his friend off, not wanting to relive the fears. "Dr. Carroll said that they're showing signs of the disease but it hasn't fully developed yet. He's not sure if this is what they have or not, so we have to keep them in motion and hopefully ward it off completely."

"I wanna hold a baby!" Madeleine screeched excitedly, sensing no danger amongst the adults.

Sharpay shot her daughter a stern look, but Gabriella welcomed this opportunity with open arms. "Okay, go sit on the couch and you can hold Anna. Lauren, do you want to hold one too?"

The younger twin nodded and the two four-year-old girls hopped up on their couch and reached out towards Gabriella. She propped up pillows under both girls' arms for support, and handed Matthew to Lauren and Anna to Madeleine. "See? You girls are going to be great mommies someday."

They both grinned at her elatedly which made Gabriella smile. She needed some sort of happiness during this time. Standing, she made her way towards one of the carriers and began to unbuckle Nicholas from his seat. "We might as well start now."

Troy agreed and began working with Emily, moving her arms and legs around and trying to stimulate movement within her. "Come on, baby. This is for your own good."

Sharpay bit her lip as she and Zeke shared a look. They couldn't imagine the horror experienced by their young friends. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"

Gabriella thought for a moment. "We could use some help. I mean, we have to give Emily and Nick more attention, so that probably means giving the others less."

"Yeah, and I don't really want to have our parents come all the way back for just two weeks..." Troy trailed off, moving Emily consistently despite her cries.

"We could come stay with you for awhile, if you want." Zeke offered. "I mean, I work during the day, but I'm yours after seven."

"And I haven't acted in awhile. I want to have the baby first," Sharpay placed a hand on her stomach protectively. "If you need us, we're here for you."

"That would be great." Gabriella smiled. "As long as you don't mind. We really could use you."

"Oh no, we don't mind." Zeke answered with a smile. "We'll get to see what it's like having seven kids."

"Well, you'll only have five." Troy pointed out.

Zeke shook his head. "Nope. We'll have seven. We still have to take care of Maddie and Laur."

Gabriella grinned despite the situation. "We have the best friends in the world."

* * *

The first week that went by was pure hell. Troy and Gabriella only slept about six hours the entire seven days, only getting to rest when Nicholas and Emily had tired themselves out. They kept moving each limb on each baby in isolations and it didn't seem to be working. They would continue to do their household chores, like vacuuming and mopping, but instead with the babies snug to them in one of the many Snuggly baby carriers that held the infant close to the chest. Giving Emily and Nicholas extra attention proved to be much more difficult than they'd expected, because they missed their other five children terribly. Knowing that their babies were in the house but they couldn't spend time with them was torture, even if they had two others to tend to.

As for Sharpay and Zeke? Taking care of five four-month-olds and two four-year-olds was much harder than they'd anticipated. And even though Troy and Gabriella's house was already crammed with people, they enlisted Chad and Taylor's help as well. Four adults to seven kids was much easier to deal with than two to seven. Madeleine and Lauren weren't adjusting well, as the attention of their parents they normally received was greatly reduced. The entire week, Zeke and Sharpay tried to explain to the girls that this is how it would be when their baby brother or sister was born, but they wouldn't have it.

The second week, everything was much better. Emily and Nicholas seemed to be getting tired of crying nonstop, and were even showing small signs of improvement. It wasn't anything major, but it still called for a victory dance. Sharpay and Zeke were getting much more used to having to take care of a multitude of children, as were Chad and Taylor, who decided they didn't want more than two. The doctor visit arrived, and while the other four adults stayed back with Anna, Joseph, Matthew, Leah, and Caitlin, Troy and Gabriella took Emily and Nicholas to the visit that would determine if they were ill or if they were healthy.

Dr. Carroll entered the room with an unusually cheery smile. "Good afternoon! How are we today?"

"We're okay. We just really want to know if our kids are."

"It's been an extremely stressful few weeks," Troy nodded, exhaustion laced through his voice.

Dr. Carroll nodded. "I can imagine. I'm going to take the two to the back so we can run various tests on the muscular endurance and cognitive responses. You can come, but you are not allowed in the room. It's an extremely sterile environment."

They followed their pediatrician to the room where their children's future lay. Troy and Gabriella sat in two of the chairs across from the room that was sealed shut. All they could think about was having two children with cerebral palsy. They knew that this was always a possibility, but never dreamed it would happen to them. The McCaughey's had two children with cerebral palsy as well, and although they shrugged it off as though it wasn't an obstacle to their life, it was clear how much it took a toll on them. Images of leg braces and wheelchairs couldn't leave Gabriella and Troy's minds.

Their pediatrician brought their babies out to them again, and Troy and Gabriella stood, fearful of the news the doctor had to bring. "What is it? Are they alright? Please tell me they're alright!"

"I don't think I could take it if they aren't."

Dr. Carroll handed each of the babies back to their parents. "I'm happy to report that all tests run to search for signs of cerebral palsy were negative. The persistent crying might just have been a sign of not getting enough attention. Your children are perfectly healthy."

Troy and Gabriella sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, Dr. Carroll. So, so much."

Upon returning home and saying goodbye with an immense thank you to their friends, Troy and Gabriella called their parents to tell them of the good news. They were beyond thankful and reassured that now, everything was going to be okay. Currently, Gabriella was sitting in the middle of the family room while Troy was opposite her, lying on his stomach. They had a huge blanket spread out on the floor and all seven babies were lying upon it, awake with eyes twinkling. Gabriella was extremely content. This was the moment she'd waited for- when all babies were happy, healthy, and safe at home.

Tickling Emily's stomach and watching her laugh, Gabriella grinned. "I'm so glad everything's okay."

"Me too," Troy agreed, kissing Anna on the cheek and laughing when she grinned at him. "We may have seven, but this is the greatest feeling in the world."

"Do we have that interview with People next week or the week after?" Gabriella asked, referring to the magazine they decided to go with.

Troy thought for a moment. "I think the week after. The photo call is first, and then we have the interview."

"What do you think they're going to ask us?"

"Probably stupid questions like, 'What was your reaction when you found out there were seven?'" Troy laughed. "I can't even tell you how many times I've been asked that."

"Hey, me either! You're not the only one." Gabriella stated. "I never expected our lives to be this public."

Troy glanced at her. "Me either. At least everyone will stop asking us for pictures, though."

Gabriella nodded. "Thank God. Those photographers are really starting to piss me off."

"Are you ready to make your debut, Bolton septuplets?" Troy asked the babies, laughing as Joseph grinned at his father.

"Yeah, you guys are practically famous." Gabriella smiled. "I didn't expect that, either."

"No, me either. I just wanted to marry you, have a couple kids, and a good job." Troy reminisced. "Seriously, one or two kids. Three tops. An office job here in California with a good view. Oh man... it's funny how things don't work out, isn't it?"

Gabriella laughed slightly. "It's funny how they do."


	19. Weary

**Hey! So yeah about the really late update... I'm sorry. You guys are such dedicated readers and reviewers and you deserve more than that. But I've been stressing a lot lately with half of my junior year over already and I have all these new classes that each want undivided attention from me, my parents are talking about college, my friends are talking about prom and it's just like SHUT UP! Do you guys know the feeling? I bet you do.**

**Over the past weekend I had a dance competition so I couldn't get an update out to you. Next week I'll be in Florida so I won't be able to update then either. So enjoy this chapter because there will quite some time until the next one, lol. But really, it's not a bad thing. Because there's only two more chapters until the end...  
**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Because they spent so much time with their wives in the hospital, both Jon Gosselin and Kenneth McCaughey ended up losing their jobs during the pregnancy. This added to the stress of having so many children, because not only were they going to bring home six or seven screaming little ones, they were also not getting any income.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Weary

Early in July, when the septuplets were just over five months old, Troy and Gabriella Bolton were allowing People Magazine to do an article on their family. When it all came down to it, they both knew how much the public wanted to see the babies and know how Troy and Gabriella were coping with the seven little miracles. When they decided they would do the photo shoot and article, they had many magazines to choose from. But eventually, they chose People because they were one of the only magazines that actually printed the _real_ story, and not something made up for a tabloid.

It was July sixth, four days after the infants passed their fifth month mark, and the People photographers, editors and staff were located in the Bolton household. Troy and Gabriella had dressed the babies in their personalized onesies with their names on it- the girls' were pink, the boys' were blue. Troy and Gabriella were in hair and makeup while their babies were being strategically placed on a mini white couch in birth order. Once they were done being beautified, Troy was told to stand behind the small couch besides Anna, while Gabriella was told to do the same, but on the other side, besides Nicholas. They wanted the shot to seem as though they were peering at the babies, and they were the important ones.

"Okay, Troy and Gabriella, if you two could just kind of lean over the couch and smile at the babies, not at the camera, that would be great." The photographer directed. "I'm thinking this'll be our cover shot."

"We get to be on the cover of this magazine?" Gabriella asked in surprise. "Cool."

After taking multiple angles of the shot, the photographer had another vision. "Can we do one in the bathtub? I'm envisioning a photo that shows the difficulty of bath time."

Gabriella shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

They went upstairs and filled the bathtub partly with soapy water. Then, taking about twenty minutes to undress all seven of the babies, they placed them all in the tub of water. All the babies, who could sit up with support so they were leaned against the back of the tub, looked around in confusion. They were so committed to routine that they knew it wasn't bath time yet. For this photo, Gabriella was seated at one end of the tub and Troy at the other, up to their elbows in suds. She was laughing at something he said and he was grinning at her, and the photographer thought it was a perfect shot. The septuplets were then lifted out of the tub, dried, and diapered for the next shot.

"So I'm thinking one of those classic babies-only-in-diapers bedroom shot." The photographer decided. "So if you and Troy just want to lie on the bed, facing each other on your side, we'll place the babies around you."

They followed the directions, propping themselves up by their hands as the crew tactically placed the babies around them. Matthew was placed on Gabriella's hip from behind, Emily was lying right beneath Troy's view, and the rest were lying either on their backs or their stomachs around them. Gabriella was told to look at Matthew while Troy was told to look at Emily, and the shot was taken. The crew was awed by the beautiful picture and after they gazed at it for a while, they decided to take just one more. Redressing the babies in their onesies, they decided to have Gabriella and Troy sit on their own couch with Gabriella holding the girls and Troy holding the boys. It was hard picture to take, seeing that it wasn't easy for Gabriella to hold four babies at a time, but they got it done and they turned out very well.

After feeding the babies their lunch and putting them down for a nap, Troy and Gabriella sat down with one of the editors, Amy, for the interview portion. "So congratulations both of you! Seven healthy children is a miracle."

"Thanks." Gabriella smiled. "We thank God everyday."

"What was the initial reaction to the news that you were having seven babies?" Amy asked the most popular question. "Did you ultimately regret using fertility treatments?"

"I don't think we ever really regretted that decision." Troy started. "We wanted a baby and we were willing to do anything to have one. So regret wasn't really the feeling. It was more shock than it was anything else. And fear. A lot of fear. We knew how risky a pregnancy is with twins or triplets, so having seven was going to be so much worse health concern-wise."

"Our first reaction was more of a 'What did we get ourselves into?' kind of thing." Gabriella laughed. "We stared at the ultrasound screen and our doctor just kept lettering and counting. I was surprised by three, at five I was speechless, and at seven I just wanted to cry. We knew, and anyone else who wants to try a round of fertility treatments should know, that these drugs more often than not produce multiples. We've heard of two, three, even four babies being created because of the treatments. No one ever expects six or seven babies to develop. Honestly, we're like a fertility nightmare."

Amy laughed as well. "A nightmare?"

"Well yeah. No doctor ever wants these many risks and concerns on his hands. Because not only are there health concerns for the babies, but there are a million risks for the mother carrying seven fetuses as well." Gabriella explained.

"Now, I know you hate this question, but I have to ask it." Amy apologized. "Why didn't you choose selective reduction to ensure the safety of one or more babies?"

Troy nudged Gabriella. "You wanna answer it? You're good at answering this one."

She shrugged. "Sure. Selective reduction is a process where the doctor injects a lethal amount of potassium chloride into the bloodstream of one or more of the fetuses. In this case, the potassium chloride is used as a poison and once injected you bleed for about a day and then you only have one or two babies left, depending on how many you reduced to. We just didn't want to be the ones to say 'Okay, you get to live and you get to die.' We weren't going to play God. It wasn't our decision to make."

"And don't think we're reprimanding those who do choose to selectively reduce," Troy added, with Gabriella nodding along. "We don't want to be the ones saying, 'Reduction is horrible! No one should ever do this!' We respect people's opinions and views and they can choose what is best for them."

"So tell us how the pregnancy with seven was."

Gabriella groaned. "Absolutely horrible. It was uncomfortable and painful. I had morning sickness the entire time, usually lasting for about three hours a day. I had really bad bed sores on my back and second-degree burns on my stomach from stretching so fast. Both my bladder and my uterus were completely destroyed- they had to fix both back to their normal sizes and functions during my tummy tuck. Basically, it was really, really bad."

"That does not sound like a good time." Amy cringed. "What about bed rest? I understand you really didn't want to go on it?"

"Oh no. I'm a very hands-on kind of person, so being out of commission and making poor Troy do all the work was really sad. I felt bad. But I was home on bed rest at fifteen weeks, in the hospital at nineteen weeks and they were born at thirty, just shy of thirty one. The nurses had to check my vitals three times a day, connect me seven different fetal heart monitors at least twice a day, and then I had to get my round of shots. There was a special hormone shot that kept my uterus from going into early labor- which failed once, unfortunately- plus three others that kept my bodily functions regular."

"It was really hard to be the one watching it happen too," Troy explicated. "She went into labor early one time while I was playing an away game and I've never been so scared in my entire life. It was a really hard time for both of us. I spent a lot of time in that hospital. Not as much as her, though, obviously."

"I understand that the babies were born within four minutes. Did it surprise you that the delivery was so quick?"

"Yeah, we were really shocked that it went by so quickly. There were about seventy-two people in the room and no sooner was Gabriella strapped down to the table and injected with the anesthetic then Anna and Joseph were born. They handed them off, took out Caitlin and then Emily, handed them off, took out Matthew and then Leah, handed them off, took out Nicholas, handed him off and sewed her up within ten minutes." Troy reenacted the scene. "I remember being like, 'Wait, it's over?'"

"I don't really remember much of the delivery." Gabriella recalled. "I just remember counting the number of cries and only getting three. That worried me."

"All of the septuplets were doing much better than expected in the NICU and were released with two months or so. Do you remember when they all came home?"

Gabriella nodded vigorously. "Absolutely."

"Matthew came home on April second, Anna came home April fifth, Emily came home April tenth, Joseph came home April twelfth, Nicholas came home April fourteenth, Leah came home April seventeenth, and Caitlin came home April twenty-second." Troy filled in. "The first few, Matt, Anna, and Emily, were really easy to take care of. When we got to four it got a little more difficult. By five, it was pretty hard. At six it was ridiculous and by the time Caitlin joined us, we were in way over our heads."

Amy was intensely intrigued by their story. "Did you have help?"

"For the first few months, yeah. Troy's parents came to stay with us and so did my Mom."

"I have to ask my own personal question." Amy smiled mischievously. "Are you getting any sleep?"

Gabriella looked at Troy. "Sleep?"

Troy shook his head. "I don't know what sleep is."

Laughing out loud, Amy noted, "People will get a kick out of that answer!"

Troy only shrugged. "It's the truth!"

"What does a day consist of, supplies and routine-wise?" Amy questioned, coming under control again.

"Well, probably about thirty-five diapers. Twenty-eight to thirty bottles, a few outfits per child, probably about a box of baby wipes a day, I would say." Troy tried to work it all out. "It's crazy. We've been buying items in bulk a lot, which really helps."

"A day in our life pretty much consists of Troy getting up at seven thirty-ish. He makes the bottles in the kitchen and breakfast for us while I get up probably around the same time, sometimes at eight. I change the diapers and bring them downstairs to their highchairs, one by one, and we feed them breakfast. After that, we bring them back upstairs, clean them up, and dress them for the day. By now it's probably around ten-thirty. One of us occupies them while the other cleans the kitchen, does some laundry, vacuums, or other various chores. After, it's probably around noon which is lunch time and that's usually my job. I make the lunch and feed them all by one-thirty." Gabriella sighed and Troy picked up where she left off.

"We put them down for a nap, which is one of the best times of the day, and they usually sleep for about two to three hours. Whatever chores didn't get accomplished after breakfast are done now, and then nearing the end of this time we make dinner. The babies are usually up by now and we feed them dinner. I usually give the baths while Gabriella cleans up the kitchen, which surprisingly gets really messy after each meal. I still bathe them all at once. We haven't separated the boys from the girls yet and we probably won't for another year or two. They all sit in the bathtub together and I wash them one by one down the line. I hand them off to Gabriella when each one is clean, and she diapers them and puts them in the pajamas. Then we both put them to bed, and after that, even though it's only about eight-thirty, it's finally bedtime for Mommy and Daddy."

Amy looked impressed. "I'm exhausted just listening to it!"

"Yeah," Gabriella laughed. "It's tiring."

"My final question is how do you think you two have coped with the strain of having so many children the same age? Both emotionally and physically?"

Troy answered first. "We're both exhausted beyond belief and we're certainly getting our exercise by going up and down the stairs twenty thousand times a day! But honestly, coping wasn't as hard as I thought. We've been through a lot of ups and downs to get here and we're just taking it slowly, one day at a time. Even though it's extremely stressful, we've been able to rely on each other for support and that's all we really need."

"They're our own seven wonders." Gabriella smiled. "And we couldn't be happier."

Amy grinned genuinely at the couple. "Well thank you so much for allowing us to take up space in your home and we'll send you your complimentary issue of the magazine as soon as it's finished! You have a lovely home and your children are beautiful. Thank you for the interview."

"No problem." Gabriella waved it off, giving Amy a hug. "Thank you."

As the crew and staff of People magazine left their house, Troy and Gabriella basked in the momentary silence that was a rarity in their household. "It went well, don't you think?"

"Yup," Gabriella nodded. "I'm looking forward to seeing my babies on a magazine."

"Me too," Troy grinned. "Those beautiful babies deserve to be shown off."

* * *

In the middle of August, Troy and Gabriella decided to make their first outing with the septuplets. They were six and a half months old and were much more alert and attentive than they had been beforehand. They truly were growing and developing- they could recognize their own name, sit up on their own without support, and even roll over. Because of the latest developments, their parents chose to celebrate with a little outing to a place the babies had never seen before or experienced.

The beach.

They took the twenty-five minute drive to Long Beach and found a secluded area of the beach where no tourists or other families were settled. Taylor and Chad were off on their honeymoon, as they had gotten married just four days before, so instead along for the trip were Zeke, Madeleine, Lauren and a very pregnant Sharpay. The four-year-old twins were shrieking in the surf with their father, while Sharpay hung back on a beach chair, complaining about being overly pregnant. Gabriella gave her an incredulous look.

"Are you serious, Sharpay? Did you see the pictures of me on delivery day? I was fifty-six inches around!!"

Sharpay backed down. "Sorry. I shouldn't be complaining to you."

"No, you shouldn't!" She laughed, seating Emily and Joseph beside her in the sand. The girls were dressed in mini white bikinis with floral print and pink sunhats while the boys wore deep blue bathing suits and blue sunhats. Gabriella grinned at her babies. "They're so confused! They're like, 'What is this place? We've never been outside our home!'"

"They look so adorable today." Sharpay cooed, lifting Nicholas into her lap. "Hey there, buddy! Do you like the beach?"

Nicholas giggled in response and Sharpay tickled his belly, causing the small giggles to erupt into baby laughter. "I can't wait for another one of these."

Gabriella adjusted the sun umbrella so the shade fell over all seven of the children and the two of them. "I bet. And you're so close too!"

"I know!" Placing Nicholas back in the sand, Sharpay sighed as she watched Troy and Zeke chase Madeleine and Lauren through the surf. "They're having so much fun."

"So are they," Gabriella gestured towards the septuplets, who were grasping handfuls of sand and watching as it filtered through their fingers. "Evidently we enjoy sand."

Sharpay laughed. "As long as they don't eat it."

A little while later as Madeleine and Lauren returned for a snack break, Troy sat beside his wife beneath the umbrella. "How are we doing up here?"

"They're very complacent at the beach." Gabriella described their babies, watching as they still took in their surroundings in fascination. "No one's cried yet. I think we need to move here."

Troy laughed slightly. "We're close enough. I don't think we need to move anywhere."

Giggling, Gabriella looked out on the water. "It's beautiful out here. The ocean is so calm today."

"Hey, do you think we should let them experience salt water too?" Troy asked. "I mean we hauled them all the way out here and they're wearing bathing suits."

"Yeah... okay." She agreed and they brought all seven children to the shore line. They sat them in a line right where the ocean met the land and took a quick picture before an incoming wave came in. It was huge, but by the time it reached the babies it only lapped at their waists. They seemed surprised at the action, the cool water hitting their warm skin, but seemed to enjoy it, and kicked in excitement as it came back again. Troy and Gabriella laughed wholeheartedly, enjoying the reaction they were getting from the babies.

"Aw, they love it!"

"They do! They're having a great time."

After feeding them lunch, Troy came up with another good idea when he saw Anna patting sand together between her hands. "Let's build a sandcastle. A really big sandcastle with seven towers and we'll write all of their names on it."

"Can we do that?" Gabriella asked skeptically. "I'm not that artistically inclined."

"Yeah, me either. But sandcastles are easy to build." Troy said. He bent down towards Lauren. "Laurie can we borrow your sand toys?"

The little girl nodded, still preoccupied with her sandwich she hadn't finished. Troy took them and returned to the spot where Gabriella was sitting with the seven babies, Caitlin and Emily in her lap. "Good luck, Daddy."

"You're not going to help me?"

"Troy, the only sandcastle I've ever built in my life was like two inches tall." Gabriella stated. "The waves came in and knocked it down, too."

Troy smirked. "Fine, fine. I'll do it myself."

He built a strong square base first, so if any incoming surf came in it would be impossible to destroy the castle. While Nicholas, Joseph, and Anna patted down the sand, giggling the whole time, Troy worked on perfecting seven towers at the top. He built four on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on the top. Finally, he found a stick and carefully carved each of the seven names onto the towers. The four on the bottom looked like a strong wall, and therefore became Anna, Leah, Nicholas, and Matthew. The two in the middle were Emily and Joseph, and the unstable top tower was Caitlin.

"Ta da!" Troy shouted, jumping back to reveal his work. "What do you think?"

"Ooh, looks good!" Gabriella awed. "You're a lot better at this than I thought."

"Ah, see? Don't doubt my abilities, Gab."

They placed their babies in front of the sand creation and captured the picture-perfect moment on camera. Their babies were still exploring the sand, some thoughtful, some giggling, some grinning their toothless grins. It didn't matter that there were seven of them or that they would be growing up in the public's eye. It didn't matter that Troy and Gabriella were intensely sleep deprived or that their house would forever smell like baby powder. It didn't matter that just then, after the picture was taken, it was nap time and the babies were beginning to melt down.

All that mattered was that they were together. They were happy, healthy, and safe at home with the parents that loved them. And that's all they ever really needed.

* * *

**That may sound like the end, but there are still two chapters left of the Bolton septuplets' story...**


	20. Love

**Hey! Fanfiction has been fixed! Or... hopefully it has. I've been waiting to update for you, but you know that Fanfiction likes to be gay when it wants to be, lol. So thank you all for getting to and beyond 300 reviews. I love you like you were my own family. Seriously. I had a fabulous time in Florida (thanks to those who wished me so!) and now I'm back in the cold, unfortunately. But anywaysssss please read and review these final chapters of "Seven Wonders." Enjoy!**

**I was thinking about creating a follow up series, kind of like a collection of one-shots where I chronicle the lives of Troy and Gabriella and their miracle babies. This isn't definite yet, but I would appreciate if you took the time to vote in my poll on my profile, telling me if you'd like to read it or not. I'll probably be closing the poll after this story ends, so vote while you still can!**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Although it may seem impossible, travel with multiples is good for the babies to learn new places and experiences. To this day, the Gosselins have been to Florida, North Carolina, New York City, and Utah as a family. The McCaughey's took a trip to Spain last summer.

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Love

Gabriella grinned happily as she took the stairs to the nursery to retrieve her crying babies. She could hardly contain her excitement. It had been a rollercoaster of a year, but it would all pay off today. Today the smiles and laughter of her seven children would mean much more than they had any other day. She listened to the hustle and bustle of the first floor where she just came from and smiled even wider. She had the greatest friends and family in the world. Today would also be a chance to thank anyone and everyone who had helped her and Troy over the past year. She was ecstatic and couldn't wait to see the looks on the babies' faces, even though she knew they most likely wouldn't understand. But today, it didn't matter.

Today was February second. The septuplets' first birthday.

"Happy Birthday!" She exclaimed upon opening the door. "It's your day, guys!"

A few were crying but the others just smiled upon seeing their mother. Gabriella made her rounds kissing everyone good morning. "Hi Anna! Oh, nice hair Caitlin. Nicky, are you okay? Oh Mattie, you need a diaper change. Emily, sweetheart, it's okay! Leah, be happy, it's your birthday! Aw Joey, thank you. You're my helper."

She then lifted Anna to the changing table to change her diaper and get her dressed in her birthday attire. "You big one-year-old! I can't believe you guys are getting so big!"

After changing her diaper, Gabriella stood Anna up on the table to dress her. She picked out four identical soft pink dresses with lace on the hem and the sleeves. They had two satiny bows on the chest with ribbons that flowed down the length of the dress. Gabriella also chose pristine white socks with lace and pink and white Mary Jane's. She tied Anna's russet brown curls into pigtails with little pink bows and kissed her cheek, putting her down on the floor so she could play for a while.

"You look so pretty Anna! Who else wants to be pretty?"

Caitlin giggled. Emily whined. Leah drooled. Gabriella just laughed and changed them all into their matching attire. When the last of the girls had been changed and beautified, she moved on to the boys. Joseph, Matthew, and Nicholas were wearing a baby blue polo shirt and tan shorts, looking extremely adorable. Gabriella also dressed them in white socks and sneakers, though without the frill and lace. She was combing Nicholas's hair when Troy walked in the room.

"I found the most perfect birthday hats ever." Troy was obviously proud of himself by the grin on his face. "Happy Birthday, seven wonders!"

They giggled and cooed as Troy bent down to kiss them all and ended by kissing Gabriella. "Ooh, looking sharp, Nick."

"He looks like a stud, doesn't he?" Gabriella laughed. "Now what is this about birthday hats?"

"Oh yeah. Okay, they're those tall cone-shaped ones. The boys' have a blue pom-pom on the top and the girls' have pink. Then, in pink or blue writing, it says, 'I'm one!' with a big number one." Troy grinned in elation. "Seriously, you have to see them. They're awesome."

"I bet they are." Gabriella giggled. "Let's get downstairs; we still have a lot of setting up and decorating to do."

Troy nodded and took two of the babies, Nicholas and Leah, in his arms and went down the stairs to the family room. Gabriella was taking Emily and Matthew, and even though she told the others she'd be back, she forgot to close the gate on their bedroom door, so when she came back the other three were crawling towards the stairwell. Their mother laughed and scooped all three of them into her arms as she brought them downstairs and placed them in their playpen so she wouldn't have to worry about them getting into trouble.

Jack, Lucille and Maria were there to help. They had traveled to celebrate their grandchildren's first birthday and were ecstatic. "Can you believe they're one already?"

Lucille shook her head. "Time just goes by way too quickly."

"Okay Mom, you and I are going to feed them breakfast." Gabriella ordered. "Jack and Troy are going to hang up streamers and balloons and Lucille you're going to work your magic in the kitchen."

Her mother-in-law laughed. "Is my cooking really that good?"

Everyone in the room, with the exception of the seven babies, responded simultaneously. "Yes."

After loading the seven miracles into their respective high chairs, Maria and Gabriella fed them oatmeal out of a huge bowl, one by one. Maria tiredly glanced at her daughter. "You do this every day?"

Gabriella laughed. "Every day, every meal. You get used to it."

"I'm really surprised at how hungry they are. They eat so much!"

"I know. This is six packets of oatmeal and they're done with it in about fifteen minutes." Gabriella shook her head. "It's unbelievable."

When the oatmeal was all cleared away, Gabriella, knowing they were still hungry, peeled a few bananas and cut them up for the babies. She set small pieces of the sweet fruit on their highchair trays and watched as they hungrily ate them all. Maria was still surprised that after eating so much oatmeal they were still hungry. "I take it they aren't having any reflux problems anymore then?"

Her daughter shook her head no. "Not anymore. That cleared up a few months ago and now they're going through a growth spurt. They've been eating like crazy lately."

"And they've gotten cuter since I've last seen them!" Maria tickled Anna's cheek, who grinned through a mouthful of banana. "Which I didn't think was possible."

"Neither did I," Gabriella smiled, kissing the top of Joseph's head. "But they prove me wrong every day."

* * *

The backyard didn't look like a backyard anymore. There were blue, white, and pink streamers everywhere, as well as the same colors in the millions of balloons. Long tables covered with 'Happy First Birthday' tablecloths lined the extension of the yard; Lucille's many delicious meals and treats atop them. Various people, family, friends, neighbors, and even some of the doctors from the NICU were in attendance and having a great time watching the septuplets interact with each other and the new guests at their house. It was just a happy atmosphere and Troy and Gabriella couldn't have asked for anything more.

They had set up the seven high chairs in birth order outside near the eating tent. They were planning on giving each of the babies their own birthday cake; a small little circular cake that wished them a personalized happy birthday. They had a much larger cake for the public, but wanted to do something special for them on this momentous occasion. Troy was placing the babies in their high chairs while Gabriella, holding Emily on her hip, was going to make the thank-you speech.

"Hi everyone, can I have your attention? Emily and I have something to say." Gabriella smiled, bouncing Emily a little and making the girl grin. The crowd quieted. "Well first off, I just want to welcome you to the Bolton septuplets' first birthday party. Thank you all for coming and for the amazing gifts you all brought! Look at that present table! It really is appreciated and you guys really overdid it."

"I want to thank Dr. Clark for not giving up on us. I know we were not the easiest clients to work with but you still put up with us. Thank you very much. Also thank you Nurse Karen and Nurse Catherine. Without you two, these seven little miracles would not be here today. We owe an immense thank you to the entire hospital staff who kept me safe and healthy and let Troy stay after visiting hours."

A few people laughed and she continued. "Thank you to all of our neighbors and the companies that donated so much of their time and their products to us. Graco donated seven carseats and RollAbout donated the seven-seated stroller which are the two things that we most needed. Thank you to our neighbors for also volunteering to help when necessary. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated"

"Mom, Jack and Lucille, thank you for living with us for the first few months. We desperately needed the extra hands while we tried to come to terms with being a family of nine. It was great to have you there, not only because of your experience, but also because you got to spend a lot of time with your grandchildren, and we know how much you wanted that." Gabriella then turned to their friends. "A big thank you to Taylor and Chad Danforth and Sharpay and Zeke Baylor. You guys are the best friends anyone could ever ask for. You were there for us when we needed you the most and honestly we can't thank you enough. Thank you all so much!"

Taylor grinned. "You're welcome!"

Sharpay, cradling their new baby daughter Alexis, laughed. "Anything for you guys!"

"Now, enough of this chit-chat. It's time for cake!"

Placing Emily in her high chair as there was applause, they brought out the tray of cakes for the babies. Serving Anna hers first, since she was technically "the oldest," they sang. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Anna! Happy birthday to you!"

Anna smiled, loving the attention. Placing a blue cake before Joseph, they continued. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Joseph! Happy birthday to you!"

Joseph stared at the cake, wide-eyed as his parents placed a pink cake in front of Caitlin. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Caitlin! Happy birthday to you!"

Giggling, Caitlin glanced around at her surroundings, trying to see what she should do next. A pink cake was also placed before Emily. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Emily! Happy birthday to you!"

Emily wasn't sure what to make of the sweet treat and stared at it as if it were entertainment. The next blue cake went to Matthew. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Matthew! Happy birthday to you!"

Matthew laughed, also enjoying the focusing attention. The last pink cake was settled in front of Leah. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Leah! Happy birthday to you!"

Leah looked around in confusion before fixating her eyes on the cake. She wanted it. The last cake on the platter, a blue one with Nicholas's name on it, was placed right before him. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Nicholas! Happy birthday to you!"

After the clapping had ended, the babies still looked around in wonderment. Troy laughed. "Go ahead, guys. It's all yours. Dig in!"

Anna, being the curious leader of the group as Troy and Gabriella always referred to her as, swiped a finger through the frosting and brought it to her mouth. After licking it clean, she giggled and went back for more, this time grabbing a handful of cake. Troy and Gabriella laughed as they watched the others, one by one, try out their cake. It was all over their bibs, faces and hands, but they loved every minute of it. Another guest to the party was Amy, one of the editors from People magazine that had nearly begged to do an article on the septuplets' first birthday. Troy and Gabriella, not wanting any press at the party, allowed her to come but not anyone else. They didn't want to put their kids under the spotlight every chance they got.

"Don't you think it was a bit time consuming for you to sing 'Happy Birthday' to each of the kids?" Amy questioned. "Just wondering."

But Gabriella shook her head. "Not at all. I mean, how special is it if we just sing, 'Happy Birthday dear Anna, Joseph, Caitlin, Emily, Matthew, Leah and Nicholas'? I mean really. It's just so much better."

"Plus they each get the extra attention." Troy added. "And in this family, they most certainly need it."

"Do you think it's funny that the babies waited for Anna to eat the cake first before they tried it?" Amy asked.

Gabriella laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Anna's always been the brave and curious leader of the group. She's definitely the leader and I think all of the kids see her as a sense of security. She was the first one to sit up, the first one to crawl and the first one to stand. It was like the others were capable, but wanted her to do it first."

"It doesn't surprise me that she was the first born." Troy put in. "She had to come out first to show the others that it was okay. It's pretty much like, 'Oh, Anna did it. Now _I_ wanna do it!' It's cute."

"So Anna's a born leader." Amy reported. "What about Joseph? What's his personality like?"

"Ah Joey," Gabriella smiled. "He's a heartbreaker."

Amy laughed. "Is he?"

"He is. Just like his father."

"Yeah, my little Joe is a ladies man for sure." Troy grinned proudly. "Everyone who comes by loves him. He wins the heart of every woman that comes to visit- both our moms, Sharpay, Taylor, just everyone. He's got the best smile and his laugh is just adorable. Lately he's been into helping Mommy comb his hair."

"He wants to look good for his ladies." Gabriella laughed.

"That is so sweet." Amy commented. "Who's next? Caitlin! What's she like?"

"She's the loudest child we have, I think." Troy sighed. "That beautiful little ball of energy."

"Caitlin is crazy." Gabriella smiled just thinking of her daughter's antics. "You never would've known _she_ was the sick one. She was the one who spent the most time in the NICU, the one who couldn't come off the ventilator or the heart monitor, the one we didn't hold until the day she left. And now? She's the loudest. She has this ear-piercing shriek that just goes right through you and when she cries, forget it. She's done. She's lovable and crazy and loud. We love her."

"And how's Emily?"

"Emily is such a sweetheart." Troy began. "I think she's the quietest. Sharp contrast from Caitlin."

"Emily never cries. Well, rarely anyway." Gabriella added to Troy's thought. "She's just very quiet, very shy, and very much attached to me. I think the only time she cries is when I'm not in the room with her. Yeah, she's a definite Mommy's girl. But instead of the crying, she has this low whine that she'll start as soon as she doesn't like something. When she's scared she whines, or when she's hungry, same thing. But most of the time, she's just happy and sits quiet, which is kind of a nice break!"

"I'm sure you two could use all the breaks you can get!" Amy joked. "What about Matthew?"

"Matt is a very stubborn baby." Gabriella shook her head, but a hint of a smile was evident on her face.

"He likes everything done orderly and properly, the way he wants things. He has to get what he wants or he'll scream." Troy chuckled. "He's stubborn, but he's sweet. He likes to comfort the other babies when they're crying and he's already really good at sharing. He's a keeper."

"So we're down to Leah. How's she?"

Gabriella smiled upon saying her name. "Leah. She's a doll."

"Little Leah." Troy started. "She's this tiny adorable little thing. She's little and cute, but don't let that fool you. She's a tough cookie. The only one who, at the eye doctor appointment, didn't cry when they gave her the protective eye drops, for which they had to pry their eyes open. She's just cute and fun and we love her."

"And last but not least, Nicholas."

"Nick's our little baby." Troy told her. "The youngest."

"Nicky's always been really mobile. He was the second one to crawl and he'd crawl from room to room in the house." Gabriella recalled, amused. "He'd crawl up and down the hallway, back and forth until we got fed up and moved him somewhere else. But he'd crawl there too. I think he'll be the first to walk. They're all pretty close, I mean, they can walk with support and have been coasting for a while. But he'll do it first."

"Not if Anna beats him to it." Troy pointed out and Gabriella laughed.

"That's true."

"Wow, it's so amazing that they all have such different personalities." Amy commented.

"Just shows you how different they are." Troy said.

Gabriella agreed. "Yeah. They are different. But in other ways, they're exactly the same."

* * *

Later on that evening, after all the decorations had been taken down and the guests left, the food and presents had been cleared away and the babies had been bathed and the cake icing was washed out of their hair, Troy and Gabriella were lounging on the floor of the nursery and playing with their seven babies. It was moments like these that made everything worth it. Moments where it was just the two of them and their seven sleep-eyed, wide-smiled babies were the ones they strove towards.

"Septuplets." Troy chuckled suddenly. "Seven babies."

"I know."

"Who would've thought, you know?" He left it open-ended. "I mean, us of all people. Why were we the chosen prey?"

Shaking her head, Gabriella replied, "Who knows. I have people coming up to me on the street saying, 'We've been doing infertility for years and have never had a baby.' It makes me feel guilty that they haven't even had one baby and we have seven."

"I know, one of my teammates told me the same exact thing." Troy said quietly. "It's weird how those drugs work out."

"It is," Gabriella smiled, stroking Emily's hair and slowly lulling her to sleep. "But it's wonderful."

The very beginning had been terrifying. Fear plagued every movement Troy and Gabriella made. They never wanted this. They didn't want to be the ones to have to worry about their health and their child's health everywhere they went. Finding out there were seven infants was one of their worst memories. They weren't willing to kill off one or more babies, but even so they knew it was the worst possible news. Everything had looked so incredibly bleak. They knew sleep had become a thing of the past. They knew it was going to be horribly difficult. They knew their lives would never be the same.

Upon hearing the seven rhythmic heartbeats, they'd fallen in love. And upon seeing the seven beautiful small faces in the glass isolettes, they'd fallen in love all over again. Life with seven babies wasn't easy. It was clear. Troy and Gabriella would never want to wish their life on anyone else, and no one should set off to the fertility clinic wanting to have six or seven babies. It's not something any given person would want or choose. But it was their life. They were living it because that is how it turned out. And taking one day at a time would help them get through it. Together. After all, these struggles are meant to strengthen the marriage, not divide.

Any couple seeking fertility treatments should expect upon taking them a multiple pregnancy. Most users of these helpful but powerful drugs end up with twins or triplets, or even only one baby. Fertility treatments do produce multiples; there's no sense in denying it. What happened in the cases of the Bolton family, or even the Dilley's, the Gosselin's, and the McCaughey's is considered extremely rare. After all, how often is it that you hear of six or seven babies being born at once?

But Troy and Gabriella were strong and they knew one thing was for sure.

They were a family. And they were never _ever_ going to fail.


	21. Family

**I'm very sad. This chapter is the final chapter, well more like the epilogue, to "Seven Wonders." I think this is my favorite story that I've written (either this one or "Home Sweet Home") and I hope that you all enjoyed it as much as I have. From your reviews I can tell that you have!! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story since the beginning and to those who've just discovered it and reviewed. I love you ALL.**

**The results of the poll are in and it will be closed as soon as this is posted. Thanks to all that have voted and I will be writing the one-shot collection. It'll take me a little time, so expect it out sometime in March. Can't wait to see you there!!**

**And finally, I wrote this chapter kind of like an People Magazine article. Think of it that way when you're reading. I own nothing and I'm deeply saddened to see this end...**

**Random Multiple Fact:** Premature babies are infants born before the nine month (forty weeks gestation) mark. These babies develop much slower than those who were carried full term- for example, at six months a full-term baby would be sitting up without support, but the Gosselin sextuplets didn't sit with out support until seven and a half months. Most children begin speaking in full sentences by the age of two and a half years, but the McCaughey septuplets took until three years of age. This does not affect their brain, however, as both the full-term child and the premature child are neck and neck in the classroom.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: Family

_Septuplets turn 10!_

_It's been a decade since the birth of the world's second set of surviving septuplets. The Bolton's, Troy and Gabriella, set out to have one baby, and were overly surprised when the first ultrasound showed seven! Now, ten years old and growing rapidly, Anna, Joseph, Caitlin, Emily, Matthew, Leah, and Nicholas sit down for their first interview with us. We'll hear all about their experiences as a family of nine, their inner thoughts and personalities, and what it means to them to be a septuplet._

_Anna Claire Bolton is the first born of the septuplets. She is the leader of the pack, the boss, the one in charge. She is often referred to as the other children's security blanket. When she's not spending time with her sisters and brothers, Anna enjoys hanging out with friends and horseback riding. _

"Hi Anna." Amy greeted her warmly. "Do you remember me? I've been interviewing your parents since you guys were very little.

Anna nodded. "Yeah. Some of our baby videos have you in them."

"You mean the news reports?"

"I think so."

"So how are you Anna? How's fifth grade?"

"I'm good. Fifth grade is so fun." She grinned. "We just finished learning how to do long division. I hate math."

"Is that what makes fifth grade fun?"

Her auburn curls were rustled as she shook her head. "No. We go on fun field trips and stuff."

"Really? Where do you go?"

"We went to the aquarium for science class. And we went to a museum too." Anna smiled. "It was really fun."

"It sounds like fun," Amy grinned. "Now, what do you think about being a septuplet?"

"It's cool sometimes, but not everyday." Anna answered honestly. "I love my brothers and sisters but sometimes I just wanna be alone."

"And what do you think about everyone calling you the leader?"

At this she grinned. "I like being the leader. It's weird 'cause they always say, 'I don't want to do it! Anna, you do it first!'"

"Is it like they're relying on you?" Amy asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Like, they want me to do everything first!"

"When you go places do people know who you are?"

She nodded. "I used to think it was because Daddy plays basketball and the cameras always follow him. But then people started saying, 'I've seen you when you were a baby!' and I'm like, whoa! You did?"

Amy laughed. "Did you know that that's exactly how we all reacted when you were born? We said, 'Whoa! Seven babies!'"

Anna giggled. "Seven babies is a lot!"

_Seven babies _is _a lot. Especially for a couple only twenty-six years old who've never had experience with children. _

_Joseph Connor Bolton, the second born of the seven, has always been described as the ladies man. He won the hearts of hundreds of women that came to help Troy and Gabriella during the first few months, and still does today. Whether he's aware of it or not is still a mystery. Joseph likes to play all kinds of sports in his free time, when he's not doing his chores or chasing after girls, that is._

"Your Mom told me you have new chores to do." Amy began. "Can you tell me what they are?"

"Make my bed and take out the trash." Joseph grumbled. "I don't like the garbage."

"Why not?"

"It smells bad."

Laughing, Amy questioned him again. "I heard that you have a little crush on a girl in your class."

Joseph smiled immediately but held up three fingers. Amy's eyes went wide. "Three girls?"

He nodded. "Kelsey, Jenna, and Michaela."

"How come you like so many girls?"

"Because they're pretty. And they wear lip gloss."

"They're pretty and they wear lip gloss!" Amy erupted in laughter. "That's a funny answer."

"Yeah."

"So when you see your Mom and Dad having seven babies, what do you think?"

Joseph thought for a moment before replying, "Harsh."

Amy smirked. "Why is it harsh?"

"Because it must've hurt. They had to cut her tummy open." He stated. "Plus it was probably hard. One baby is annoying so seven is really, really annoying!"

_Annoying isn't really the word Troy and Gabriella used to describe their seven little ones. They referred to them as loud, energetic, and beautiful._

_Caitlin Elizabeth Bolton is the third born of the seven. She spent the longest time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit because of multiple difficulties, including fluctuating temperature and several viral infections, but she seems as if she were born hyper. She's a ball of energy, the life of the party, and the comic relief Troy and Gabriella so desperately need._

Before Amy could even ask a question, Caitlin burst out with, "Do you wanna see my trophy? I won it at a gymnastics meet!"

"I would love to see it." When Caitlin brought it to her, Amy marveled at the complexity. "Wow Caitlin, this is amazing! Second place!"

"Yeah, I got silver!" She bounced excitedly in her seat.

"Do you like gymnastics?" Amy asked, and when the girl nodded vigorously, she added, "Why do you think your parents signed you up for it?"

"Because they said I was driving them crazy." She giggled. "Daddy said, 'Caitlin! Stop bouncing all over the place! Don't flip over the furniture! Don't do a cartwheel in the living room!' So Mommy said gymnastics would be a perfect place for me to use all my energy up."

"And do you?"

"Yes," Caitlin nodded again. "I'm always so tired when I get home!"

"Anna was telling me earlier how much she loves school. Do you like school?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

"You guess so? So you do like it?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, not that much."

Amy was interested. "What don't you like about it?"

"I don't like being there."

_Attendance is a major part of school, young lady! Troy and Gabriella got a kick out of her response._

_Emily Grace Bolton is the fourth born septuplet of the seven. She is the epitome of grace, which is why the name is so perfect for her. She's a quiet, sensible girl with an introspective outlook on life. She's still shy as can be, but is beginning to come out of her shell. Her coordination and grace come in handy, as she is also an aspiring dancer._

"Emily, why do you like having so many siblings?"

"Um, there's always someone to play with." She answered simply.

"Does that make you happy?"

"Sometimes." Emily said. "If I feel like playing with them, yeah."

"What else makes you happy?" Amy asked with a smile. "I'm sure having alone time is good, right?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah, I like that. And I like playing with my friends and reading. Plus I like going places with my family."

"Like where? Where do you guys go?"

"To restaurants and the beach." Emily grinned at the mention of the last one. "I love the beach. In Spain, there's a really big one. It's in Cordoba. It's called Playa del Sol."

"Do you know what that means?"

She nodded. "Beach of the sun."

"And how do you know so much about the Spanish beach?" Amy wanted to know.

Emily shrugged. "I read about it online. We're going there this summer. Mommy has cousins and aunts and uncles that live there."

_The Bolton family trip to Spain took a lot of saving up, as a trip overseas isn't cheap. But they're excited to be reunited with family, and to learn about the Spanish culture in such a deep and meaningful way._

_Matthew Zachary Bolton, the fifth born of the seven, has a winning personality and a striking smile. He's stubborn and tends to get angry when he has to do something he doesn't want to do. But he's a very kindhearted boy that loves to help people in need. _

"Matthew, can you tell me about the new addition to your school classroom?" Amy questioned. "Your Mom told me you made a difference."

Matthew nodded. "I asked Mrs. Schaefer if we could have a recycling bin and she said yes."

"That was really nice of you. Why did you do that?"

"'Cause it's important." He stated matter-of-factly. "I don't like seeing garbage on the roads."

"Nobody does. It's gross, isn't it?" Amy probed. "What do you like the most about being a septuplet?"

"You have your own two-on-two team." He smiled. "Nick and Joey and I sometimes fight over whose team Dad gets to be on, though."

Amy grinned. "Really? And is that what you want to be when you grow up? A basketball player?"

He nodded. "I wanna be like my Dad."

"That's sweet. Did you tell him that?"

"Yeah. He was really happy." Matthew remembered with a mischievous grin. "He didn't make me put away the clean dishes that night."

Amy laughed out loud. "Is that your job? Putting away the dishes?"

"Sometimes." Matthew answered. "Sometimes when the dishwasher is already running Mom has to wash, Leah has to dry and I have to put away."

"And why do you think your Mom picked you and Leah?"

"Because we're the best at it!" Matthew laughed. "One time, she picked Joey, and he broke a glass!"

"He did?"

"Yeah! There was glass everywhere!"

_Mistake or not, tattling has been major amongst the septuplets. And unless it was something major, like breaking a glass, for instance, Troy and Gabriella waved it off._

_Leah Nicole Bolton is the sixth born of the septuplets, the youngest girl. Although she's small and cute, there's a big voice inside of her just dying to get out. She may look like a delicate porcelain doll, but she's deceiving- she's a very tough girl. This makes her favorite activity- theater- perfect for her._

"Leah, are you still the smallest of the seven?"

"I think so." She giggled. "Everyone calls me 'Little Leah.'"

"I know," Amy smiled. "How do you feel about that?"

"I don't like it because I'm ten and I'm not little." She stated adamantly.

"No, you're not. You're a big girl now." Amy recognized. "So I want to hear about your theater career. Why do you like doing plays and musicals?"

"Because it's fun! I like to sing and dance and I can remember my lines and I make a lot of friends!" Leah rambled. "I like my friends."

"Do you? I'm sure they like you too." Amy assured. "How do you think your Mom dealt with being pregnant with seven babies?

Leah shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think she could walk. Her belly was so big like this." She made her arms round and held them out in front of her.

Amy laughed. "When I was talking with Anna earlier, she told me that when you go out places people recognize you. Does that get annoying after a while?"

She thought for a little while and then shook her head. "Not really. They have a lot of questions and I like answering them."

"What kinds of questions?"

"Like they ask if we get along and I say most of the time, as long as the boys aren't being buttheads!" Leah giggled while Amy chuckled with her. "And they ask if we like being septuplets which is kind of the same question. One lady asked me once if I wanted to have septuplets once!"

"And what did you say?"

"No way!!" She shrieked. "Mommy and Daddy work really hard and I tell them they better stop because they're going to get very tired."

_Unfortunately for Troy and Gabriella, even though Leah recommended they slow down, they don't have the time or the means to stop working._

_Nicholas Troy Bolton was born last, the seventh septuplet to enter the world. He's the daredevil and the most athletic of the seven. He loves playing basketball with his brothers and his father and hanging out with friends. He also likes to test his endurance and will try or do anything. Literally._

"Okay Nicholas, I want to hear about the squid." Amy began as Nicholas sat down.

He immediately burst into a fit of giggles. "Who told you about that?"

"Your Dad."

"Well we went to a restaurant that served fish and my Dad got a seafood platter." Nicholas was already grinning ear to ear as he told the story. "There was a squid on the plate and he told me if I ate it I'd get five dollars."

"And you ate it?"

"Yeah!" He giggled again. "It was squishy but it didn't really taste that bad."

"Did your brothers and sisters think you were crazy?"

He nodded. "They were like, 'Don't eat it Nick! Don't eat it!' But I did and when I put it in my mouth, they all screamed!"

"That's funny! You're very brave." Amy complimented. "I don't think I could've eaten squid."

"Well I got five dollars." Nicholas beamed. "So I was very happy."

"So what do you think of your Mom and Dad having seven babies at once?"

"Crazy." He shook his head.

"Really? Why?"

Nicholas looked at her like it was obvious. "Because they only have two arms!"

_After all of the interviews with the septuplets, Amy sat down with the parents to get their outlook on the past decade._

"You two look great, really." Amy praised. "I expected you two to look much more run down after running after seven kids!"

Troy laughed. "Well thanks. Sleep and coffee, that's what gets us through the day."

"That was actually my next question. What gets you two through these years?"

"Strength and determination." Gabriella stated. "If your marriage is strong enough to withstand these challenges and you're determined to make it to the next day, you can conquer anything."

"Can you believe it's been ten years?"

Gabriella shook her head while Troy answered. "It has gone by so fast. Ridiculously fast. I feel like it was only yesterday that we were struggling over the horrors of potty-training. Potty-training seven at a time was not fun."

"I just keep thinking, 'It hasn't been ten years. Where did my little babies go?'" Gabriella said sadly. "And no, potty-training was not fun. But at least it had a good outcome. No more diapers!"

"Yes, we must've changed over two hundred thousand diapers within their lifetime."

"That number is probably accurate." Amy chuckled. "So what do you think of your family? Are you satisfied?"

Gabriella nodded. "Absolutely. It's not always a walk in the park, but it's a wonderful life. We've tried to keep them as normal as possible, which includes doing things like family vacations and going out to dinner. We want them to feel like normal human beings and not like "septuplets." Just because there are seven of them doesn't mean we can't do things other families would do."

"Do you feel like you're at more of an advantage than the McCaughey's, seeing as none of your children have any disabilities?"

"Oh no, not at all." Troy answered. "We admire the McCaughey's greatly for their strength in dealing with the cerebral palsy in Alexis and Nathan. We are very fortunate, because obviously multiple births, especially those complicated by septuplets, increase the risk for disabilities such as cerebral palsy. We thank God that our children are healthy but do not think we are 'better' than the McCaughey's."

"There's also a major statement that people pose to you now, one along the lines of you knew what you were getting into, as it's happened before." Amy said in incredulity. "Can you believe this?"

"People say that?" Troy asked in amazement. "Wow. That's completely untrue. We went to the fertility clinic because we wanted a baby. _A_ baby. We did not, at any point, go in and say, 'Hey, maybe we'll have six or seven!' Why would people think that would ever cross our minds?"

Gabriella shook her head. "When you get pregnant with septuplets, there's always that shock factor. You didn't see it coming and you don't know what the road ahead of you is going to be like. At delivery day, if you even make it that far, you might get a few of your babies, maybe. It's never guaranteed that seven children will survive life in the NICU, or even the birth. You can't plan ahead, because you don't know that you will be taking seven home. You might get all seven, you might get three, you might get none. How people can say we knew what we were getting into is incredible. They don't know the half of it."

"I understand you get a lot of controversy still because you didn't choose reduction," Amy began. "Also, people don't comprehend the fact that you both get along so well and are able to keep the family together. How do you respond to that?"

"No matter what, one thing was and is the most important: we're a family." Troy stated.

Gabriella agreed. "It was never about quitting with us. That was never an option. We needed to stick together not only for the children's sake, but for ours as well. We love each other and have continued to teach our children that love and trust are the most important things to build a relationship on. We have also taught them that struggles are meant to strengthen, not divide. We never gave up. We don't plan to."

"Our life is more hectic than most families, obviously, but we wouldn't change one bit of it for the world." Troy added. "We knew it was going to be hard, but we never expected it was going to be as rewarding as it has been. Seeing them so excited makes you happy, hearing them talk about their day at school makes you proud, and when they run up to you yelling 'Daddy! Mommy!' you can't even describe the feeling."

"And as for the reduction controversy?" Gabriella addressed. "There isn't one child that Troy and I wouldn't want here. After meeting them, no one else can choose either. How can you choose only a few out of the seven to live?"

"You can't." Troy declared.

"At least we can't." Gabriella smiled. "Besides, if we did, we wouldn't have our seven wonders."

-The End-


End file.
